Some of you may recall the
emaciated image of Nicole
Richie on the cover of several
tabloids awhile ago. Of
course, that led to speculation
that she may have anorexia
nervosa. But is it not uncom-
mon for many of our female
celebrities, whether actresses
or models, to be super-thin. It
is not surprising, given the
undue value that is placed on
thinness in the western cul-
tures.
How common are eating
disorders?
Anorexia nervosa is one of
the three most common eating
disorders in the U.S.A. The
other two are: bulimia nervosa
and binge-eating disorder.
The symptoms of anorexia
nervosa appear early, usually
between the ages of 11 and 13.
In this country 1 or 2 out of
every 100 kids struggle with
some form of eating disorder.
It is also estimated that 42% of
first-to third-grade girls want
to be thinner and 81% of 10
year olds are afraid of being
fat. More than 90% of those
with eating disorders are
women.
The story of Gabriella
I first met Gabriella* when
she was 19 and under my care
at the psychiatric ward of a
local hospital. She was admit-
ted to the hospital because she
had become depressed and
suicidal over the last several
months. At 5' 3" and weighing
just 80 lbs, Gabby believed she
was fat!
Gabby came from a close-
knit family - her parents were
first generation Italians and
she had one younger sister,
age 16. She had just moved
from home to attend college
and had started dating for the
first time. The pressure of
school, social life and being
away from her family for the
first time intensified her inse-
curity about her body image.
Although she kept restricting
her diet and increasing her
exercise time, she remained
concerned about her appear-
ance. She became withdrawn
and her academic perform-
ance suffered. A feeling of
dejection set in and Gabby
was suddenly thinking about
ways to end her life. Fortu-
nately, her roommate at col-
lege called her parents who
brought her back home. She
was taken to her internist who
was alarmed by her level of
malnutrition and referred her
for inpatient psyc