High Life / A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : Anorexia’s Victim Fights for Control : Health: Youth battling disorder says she ‘feels trapped.’ Experts want to get out the word that such teens are not alone.

Anna began her descent into hell as a 6-foot, 140-pound sophomore in high school. Her school could be any; it is most likely yours.

Anna’s life up until that point had been “too good to last.”

“Everything in my life was going so well that I knew I couldn’t keep up the level I was setting for myself without having a nervous breakdown,” she said. “There was a lot of pressure to succeed beyond the other girls. I knew that I had to keep up in any way I could.”

Academically, she was doing well in all her honors classes, so she decided to focus on improving her body.

“It started out as a health kick,” Anna said. But it rapidly turned into anorexia, an eating disorder characterized by starvation, compulsive exercising and laxative and/or diuretic abuse. Her weight dropped to 110 pounds, she stopped menstruating and became increasingly depressed.

“I knew I wasn’t normal,” she said. “I was so miserable. I cried all of the time. I was sitting at the table one night while my mom was making dinner and I started crying and said, ‘I can’t handle this anymore. I’m totally out of control.’ ”

According to Diane Keddy, a registered dietitian with a master’s in nutrition science, Anna’s problem is more common in Orange County than most people realize.

“There are certain factors that can predispose a person to having an eating disorder,” Keddy said, “and all of the risk factors are prevalent in Orange County.”

Among the factors she cites:

* Living in a warm climate where people are able to wear less clothing year round.

* Living in an achievement-oriented, high-pressure society.

* Living in an area where there is an emphasis on thinness.

* Having any sort of family problems, such as a lack of communication.

* Being involved in activities where there is an emphasis on appearance, such as modeling, ballet, gymnastics or cheerleading.

Keddy estimates that along with anorexia, bulimia and compulsive overeating are diseases that plague 25% or more of the high school students in Orange County. This is a rough estimate, she says, because many of the cases go untreated, especially those affecting males.

Eating disorders are commonly thought of as a female disease because of the pressure on women to be thin. “Guys need to understand that they’re not alone and that seeking help doesn’t make them abnormal,” Keddy said.

Unfortunately, Orange County’s aura of perfection hinders many from seeking help for their disorders.

“Every person who has an eating disorder feels that they have to be perfect,” said Lynn Herzog, a counselor at the Rader Institute’s Outpatient Center in Huntington Beach. “The whole Orange County thing is that you have to be so perfect and you can’t tell anyone about this (eating disorder). You don’t have to be perfect because there is no such thing as perfection. You’d be amazed at the number of friends who have eating disorders. In high school, it’s all over. It’s more common than you think.”

Nicole, a junior at an Orange County high school, has been battling bulimia for two years. She likens her experience to the nightmares of a prisoner-of-war camp.

“You feel trapped, with no control over your life,” she said. “I had no idea that what I was imposing on myself would turn out to be so horrible.”

Bulimia is characterized by compulsive overeating, then purging through self-induced vomiting, use of diuretics or laxatives, or a combination in order to combat weight gain. A compulsive overeater is unable to control food intake and is repeatedly dieting.

“Food is a symptom, not a problem,” Herzog said. “It’s like alcoholism in that food is your drug of choice. Unlike alcohol, though, you can’t just eliminate food. You can, however, eliminate starving or throwing up or eating over your feelings.”

Keddy said that it is crucial to educate junior high students to the diseases because by high school, it’s too late.

“You can prevent an eating disorder much easier than you can treat one,” she said. “If parents see their kids getting really weight-focused, saying they’re fat when they’re not; or if they notice their son or daughter is not eating normal portions of food, or if they are exercising compulsively, then the parents should take their son or daughter in for help.”

The philosophy of the Rader Institute is that “It’s not your fault . . . you’re not alone.” Herzog said that “we hear from teens all the time that, ‘I’m so embarrassed because I have this disease.’ Once they’ve come to accept it, it’s like accepting themselves. We tell teens all the time that maybe this is a good thing because it has helped them come to a point where they can learn to accept themselves and love themselves.”

There are many treatment programs available to teens with eating disorders. Keddy recommends the help of a licensed therapist, a medical doctor, as well as a registered dietitian in order to promote the best, most rapid recovery that addresses each part of the disease.

“In the state of California, there is no legal definition for a nutritionist,” Keddy said. “Registered dietitians, however, have special and specific training in nutrition and eating disorders.”

Anna has been involved in treatment with a psychiatrist, nutritionist and support group for almost a year and she is slowly recovering. She has gained enough weight so she menstruates, but her body is still undernourished.

“Within the first week of school this year, I met five girls who have eating disorders in a class of 24 people,” Anna said. “It’s so serious. I just wish more people would understand what’s wrong and not be afraid to seek help.”

If you think you have an eating disorder, you may call the Rader Institute at (714) 847-4799 or Diane Keddy, M.S., R.N., at (714) 552-2385.

For information on contacting a licensed dietitian near you, call the Registered Dietitian Information Service at 1-800-234-7348.