West Virginia Universitys Carruth Center for Counseling and Psychological Services is encouraging students toReplenish Your Body, Mind and Soulas part of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week Feb. 22-28.
An estimated 0.5-3.7 percent of females will suffer from anorexia in their lifetime, and about 1.1-4.2 percent will suffer from bulimia, according to the American Psychiatric Association. A 1995 study conducted by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Eating Disorders shows of those with eating disorders, 43 percent report onset between the ages of 16 and 20.
WVU s Carruth Center will have a booth set up in the Mountainlair from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. every day through Friday. Information on eating disorders, body image, health and wellness is available. Students from Psi Chi and Holding Every Life Precious, or HELP , will be available to answer questions.
Students are encouraged to design posters that emphasize a healthy body image, celebration of mind and body and appreciation of food as fuel. The posters, which can be dropped off at the booth, will be displayed throughout the week, and the winner of the best design will be announced Friday at 1:30 p.m. Prizes will be awarded.
Students will also be able to gather information from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday at the Student Recreation Center.
Students who want to learn more about how to help a friend or relative with an eating disorder can attend a presentation Tuesday at 5 p.m. in the Shenandoah Room of the Mountainlair. Attendees will find out how to recognize symptoms and talk honestly about their concerns.
Another presentation will follow at 6 p.m. on the art of mindfulness, a mental state marked by total awareness of the present, and how it relates to eating. Participants will learn the importance of how and why they eat rather than what they eat. They will also hear about an alternative to dieting.
On Thursday, the movieThinwill be shown from 5-7 p.m. in the Shenandoah Room. This HBO documentary delves inside Renfrew Center, a residential facility for the treatment of women with eating disorders, and follows four young women who have spent much of their lives starving themselves.
All events are free of charge.