Eating Disorders

A Teacher's Perspective

Have you ever had a student who you thought just might have an eating disorder? In my years of teaching, I've encountered several who I suspected had this kind of problem, mostly young women. One was Eileen, a fifteen year old in my 4th period class - right before lunch - one year. I noticed that she kept getting thinner. Then I started to notice that she brought her lunch every day, generally a sandwich bag of celery and carrots. I asked some of her friends if she usually bought more stuff in the lunch room or if that was all she ate. They said that was it and told me that she was always afraid that she might gain weight. That's when I got really worried.

I went to our school counselor to ask him what he thought about Eileen's behavior. He was alarmed - after all, Eileen was a really good student, active in several extra curricular activities and very well-liked. However, he said that if there was a problem, we had no time to lose. Neither of us had much experience dealing with this kind of situation, so we had to do a lot of digging for information. Eventually, we found a brochure from our local hospital about eating disorders that stressed the importance of the person buying into the treatment. We decided that it would be less confrontational if I approached Eileen about my concern instead of the counselor talking to her. So, one Thursday after class I pulled her aside and asked if she was feeling okay. She mentioned being tired but said she would be fine once she caught up on her sleep. I told her that I was really concerned about her because she looked so worn out and that I would be there for her if she needed me. During the next couple weeks I tried to make myself very accessible to Eileen. After watching and waiting for three weeks, I suggested that she may want to see a doctor for a health assessment. (The hospital brochure recommended using the word "assessment" rather than "therapy") I told her I knew a good doctor who specialized in treating teens with high amounts of stress and gave her his name and phone number.

A week later, Eileen was not in class. I checked in the office to find out why - turns out that she had been checked into the eating disorders clinic by the doctor I had recommended. I was relieved she was finally going to get some help.

By: Marshall Morgan

This document was last updated 8/13/97 by Chandra Hawley.
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