A recent Medical Daily article draws attention to an increasingly troubling trend in which college students become afflicted with eating disorders. Kids who attend university are often on their own for the first time, which means they have the tendency to develop bad eating habits. Recognizing this fact, colleges have begun instituting programs in which students with body mass indexes too low are flagged and placed on a program to help them gain weight.

However, this has raised concerns about privacy and personal freedoms. In one case, a student of Yale University was flagged due to her weight of 92 lbs. Frances Chan began eating heavy items such as cookies and ice cream, but was unable to put on enough weight. At one point, the school threatened to suspend her for not complying with their medical instructions.

Chan did not believe she had an eating disorder, instead citing a genetic tendency in her family to be small and slender.

While it may be the case that Chan — who was eventually taken off the program after Yale received criticism for their efforts — is not suffering from anorexia, but is simply predisposed to be petit, it's definitely true that eating disorders are becoming a major problem with college kids. The National Eating Disorder Association estimates that the frequency of these disorders has risen from 10 to 20 percent for women and 4 to 10 for men.

If you've begun to recognize the warning signs of anorexia in a loved one, whether they're a college student or not, it is crucial to consult with Fairwinds Treatment Center in Clearwater, Florida, as soon as possible. Our dual diagnosis treatment programs have been proven effective at not only treating the disorder, but the underlying psychological conditions that created it in the first place.