By Tray Wetherell

Editor-In-Chief

Spring is in the air and each spring the Student Development & Counseling Services and Nurse-Managed Center for Health and Education are hosting a free eating disorders screening for students and faculty at Lewis & Clark Community College main campus in Caldwell Hall Wednesday, March 9 and Thursday, March 10.  As part of the college’s commitment to the wellbeing of the students, the screening is designed to bring awareness of various eating disorders, possible treatments for these disorders, and where to find affordable treatments for them to the student body.

Supervised by Renee Hicks from counseling services and staffed by students in the nursing program at Lewis & Clark, the screening also provides training to students in the nursing program.  “I think it’s a really good thing that they do these things” said one student as they were going to sign up for the screening who asked not to be named.  Eating disorders are some of the most misunderstood in mental health in the United States with one study organized by the National Institute of Mental Health approximately 4.5% of the U.S. population at one time in their lives will suffer from an eating disorder of some sort with women more than 75% more likely to get an eating disorder over men.  Eating disorders do not necessarily show physically on a sufferer and typically those suffering from eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating will appear completely normal, and become very adept at hiding their illness until the physical impact begins to take its toll on the body.

For more information on eating disorders, check out the eating disorders screening at Caldwell Hall or go online to the national institute of mental health website at www.nimh.nih.gov