Student recounts battle with bulimia

The chatter between the 60 women gathered at the Delta Delta Delta sorority house Tuesday night contrasted with the serious issue they planned to discuss. As part of Body Image Awareness Week, College junior Bonnie Sherman, a recovering bulimic, discussed eating disorders with the group and showed a video on the subject. "I think it is an issue that influences all my friends and everyone around me," College junior Caroline Herman said before the event. Sherman began with the video, entitled Eating Disorders: Journeys of Self Discovery and Recovery. Sherman explained that she participated in the project profiled in the video, which was developed at Harvard University as part of its National Eating Disorder Screening Program -- a group organized to educate and inform college women. According to Sherman, the video, which offered an intimate view of the development and repercussions of eating disorders, has been shown at more than 600 colleges nationwide. "The reason I am up front is because my experience has been both emotional and physical," said Sherman, who was featured in the video. She explained that suffering from an eating disorder "is a lonely place to be," especially because she was "unable to connect with other people." The video touched on the stages of an eating disorder's development, from the mentality that may stimulate a binge-purge cycle or starvation to recognizing the problem and seeking help. The video also outlined symptoms and medical consequences of dangerous eating habits. Warning signs for anorexia include drastic weight loss, mood swings and relentless exercise, according to the video. Severe anorexia reduces chances of fertility and results in a low white blood cell count. The video also discussed bulimia symptoms, including apparent fluctuations in weight and others similar to those of anorexia. Long-term health hazards involve throat and intestinal problems and dehydration. Discussion after Sherman showed the video focused on how eating disorders serve to mask real problems and society's role in defining the culture of women. "When I pick up a bottle of spring water and it says 'fat free' on it, there is a problem," said Sonia von Coll, an advisor to Guidance for Understanding Image, Dieting and Eating, or GUIDE, which sponsored Tuesday's event. Both von Coll and Angela Ferrari , another GUIDE advisor, offered comments and advice and even questioned the women about their personal views on the issues. "Ninety percent of the women in our culture have eating disorders," Ferrari said. "It is a culture-bound syndrome." Von Coll added that women are so obsessed with their appearance that they even have their own language for talking about weight, fat and exercise. When questioned about her own personal experience with an eating disorder, Sherman recalled feeling depressed and out of control. "The only thing I could control, or thought I could control was what I put in my mouth," she explained. Sherman mentioned that for a long time, she thought that once she attained the "perfect body," she would be happy. "Weight was my definition of health," she said. Sherman said she is still in the process of recovering from her eating disorder and advises that "you have to deal with this stuff head on." College sophomore Alyse Dann said after the program that she hopes awareness programs help women at the University to recognize GUIDE's support system and seek help.