University Offers Screening for Eating Disorders
by Natasha Vukelic

On Thursday the UNC Department of Psychiatry will offer free confidential screenings for eating disorders. The screenings are being held as part of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.

Some facts about eating disorders include:
-Ten million women and one million men in the United States suffer from anorexia or bulimia.
-Another 25 million people have a binge eating disorder.
-Anorexia has the highest premature death rate of any mental illness.
-The average age of female sufferers is betweeen 11 and 15 years.

Hospital researchers hope the screenings will help clear up common myths about eating disorders.

“Men are not immune to these disorders,” said researcher Lauren Reba. “People of various ethnic backgrounds are not immune to these disorders. People of different economic status are not immune to these disorders. We really want to stress that point and also let people know that they are not to blame.”

The screenings will be held at the Student Union on campus from noon until 4 p.m.