There is an evil voice that lurks in the minds of an estimated 5-10 million U.S. women and 1 million U.S. men. It is a voice that dominates their lives, constantly reinforcing their skewed views of themselves as overweight. This voice is the cause of skipped meals, excessive exercise sessions and purging after meals.

It is the voice of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, illnesses that have experienced a tremendous increase in occurrence in recent years. February 25- March 2 is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, recognizing the struggles endured by sufferers of eating disorders.

Of those with eating disorders, approximately 90-95% are female. In addition, it is estimated that 20% of all college females suffer from anorexia or bulimia. On a campus like St. Olaf, where perfectionism runs rampant, eating disorders are a problem that must be addressed.

Lynda Meador, M.A., a therapist at the St. Olaf Counseling Center, states that there is a great need for increased recognition of eating disorders. "The majority of women struggle with some sort of body image issue—I think we underestimate its prevalence." she says. "Unfortunately, I think a lot of students don't make it over to the counseling center and struggle alone. [Eating disorders] tends to be one of those issues that is seen as shameful; there tends to be resistance to dealing with it directly."

There is help for those with eating disorders at St. Olaf, says Steve O'Neill, M.A., director of the counseling center. "Our [the counselors'] role is to heighten awareness and to educate. Whether a person is just beginning to realize he or she has a problem or is already heavily into binging and purging, we are here to give students who may potentially have problems the opportunity to deal more directly with any level of struggle."

Anorexia is characterized by an irrational fear of body fat, leading to severe dieting or the withholding of food altogether. Bulimia involves repeated episodes of binging, followed by purging through self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives or other diuretics, fasting, or excessive exercise. Individuals with either of these eating disorders have a distorted body image; they see themselves as being fat even in instances when their body weight is dangerously low.

In conjunction with National Eating Disorders Week, the St. Olaf Counseling Center held a free eating disorders screening on Tuesday, Feb. 27. It will also be offering a support group for sufferers of eating disorders that will begin meeting within the next few weeks.

The St. Olaf Counseling Center was established by St. Olaf College to enhance the personal growth and development of its students. In accordance with the ethical guidelines of the Minnesota Board of Psychology, any information given to counseling center staff is completely confidential. Located on the second floor of the Old Main Annex, it is open weekdays from 8 a.m.-12:00 p.m. and 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Appointments may be made in person or by calling ext. 3062.