Mika Brzezinski, co-host of MSNBC's “Morning Joe,” has suffered from disordered eating patterns since her late nights in high school, when she would binge on two or three Big Macs, followed by long, “punishing” runs. These habits extended to all-night eating sessions in her dorm room, to times later in life when she would devour an entire jar of Nutella with her bare hands in front of her “horrified” husband.
“I have literally spent years of my life obsessing over food, chasing after food, gobbling down food—and then punishing myself for eating too much and trying to erase the effects,” she writes in her book, “Obsessed: America’s Food Addiction—and My Own,” which chronicles her history of distorted body image and lifelong obsession to be thin. The book, co-authored with her friend Diane Smith, who has struggled with obesity, intends to “nurture a conversation” about food and weight, “turning back the tide” of the obesity epidemic and eating disorders.
Ms. Brzezinski will address the prevalence and impact of eating disorders during a public forum hosted by the George Washington University’s School of Public Health and Health Services at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the Marvin Center Grand Ballroom. The forum is a part of “More than a Body: Celebrate You," a week-long series of campus events held in conjunction with National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, which begins Monday. Following her keynote speech, there will be a Q&A with Ms. Brzezinski and the audience. The event is free, but attendees should register here.
George Washington President Steven Knapp will give remarks along with former Board of Trustees Chairman W. Russell Ramsey, B.B.A. ’81, who will introduce Ms. Brzezinski.
Tuesday’s forum will include a panel discussion with Student Health Service Medical Director Isabel Goldenberg, the University Counseling Center’s Nancy Cass and two GW students who have recovered from eating disorders. The discussion will be moderated by Associate Professor of Prevention and Community Health Melissa Napolitano.
Laura Porter, a junior in the School of Media and Public Affairs, has struggled with an eating disorder and said she knows how complex the disease can be. As the president of SPEAK GW— Students Promoting Eating Disorder Awareness and Knowledge—Ms. Porter aims to increase awareness and decrease the stigma attached to eating disorders on campus. She and SPEAK Vice President Katie Duman, a junior in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, will share their stories of recovery during Tuesday’s event.
“It's necessary to eat every day, and because of that, one has to develop a new relationship with food. I essentially had to rewire my brain to properly feed myself,” Ms. Porter said. “I'm really hoping that the talk can bring the reality of eating disorders to campus. It brings the discussion to a personal level.”
Ms. Cass, a licensed clinical social worker, joined the UCC staff as its first eating disorder services counselor in February. She will provide specialized counseling to students and work with university partners to support and educate the campus community about disordered eating and body image issues.
Open discussions about eating habits and providing specialized resources for those with diseases like anorexia and bulimia may be especially critical for college campuses. Eating disorders among college-age women have risen from 10 to 20 percent and from four to 10 percent among men in the last decade, according to the National Eating Disorder Association. They typically are revealed before age 25, and the transition to college can trigger or exacerbate unhealthy eating patterns.
“Things like going away to school for the first time, leaving home, and managing your meals and exercise schedule don’t necessarily cause an eating disorder, but they can bring it out,” Ms. Cass said.
SPHHS in collaboration with SPEAK, UCC and SHS is hosting a series of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week events, beginning Monday. The events include jeans donations, scale trashing, yoga classes and a screening of “America the Beautiful.” A full schedule of activities can be viewed here.