When former University of Memphis student Jenni Helms was15-years-old, she decided to go on a diet that lasted eightyears.
Helms, now recovered, suffered from anorexia nervosa, an eatingdisorder involving starvation.
"It was terrible -- I thought about food and calories 24-hours aday, even waking up in the middle of the night," Helms said,recalling the experience as "miserable."
Unfortunately, Helms is hardly alone in her deathly quest to bethin.
Hilary Price, a hotline worker for the National Association ofAnorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders said eating disorders arebecoming an out of control in the United States.
"Our research has shown that approximately eight million peoplesuffer from eating disorders, with about 7 million of them beingwomen," Price said.
While different people may develop different patterns ofdisordered eating, the three main disorders are anorexia nervosa,where sufferers lose at least 15 percent of their body weight;bulimia nervosa, which involves eating large quantities of food andself-induced vomiting; and binge-eating, where sufferers consumelarge quantities of food but do not do anything to compensate forit.
People with eating disorders, in addition to starving andvomiting, may also over exercise, use diet pills or laxatives.
All three disorders, which are basically coping methods, usuallyaffect people in their teens and twenties.
Dr. Gina Prigoff, a licensed psychologist and West TennesseeRegional co-coordinator of the Eating Disorders Coalition ofTennessee, said while dieting may be a nationwide obsession, thereare a number of factors that influence whether a person develops aneating disorder.
"There are a lot of different variables, such as geneticpre-disposition, family influences, personality traits and culturalinfluences," Prigoff said. "When it comes to cultural influences,our culture tells us if you are thin, then you're beautiful andhappy."
Helms said her struggle with eating developed at a time when shedidn't feel like she had much in her life.
"I was unhappy and I had no hobbies or anything, and felt reallybored with my life," Helms said.
Prigoff also warns that eating disorders do not come out ofnowhere.
"There is an event or catalyst that kicks an eating disorderinto gear," Prigoff said. "It's a misconception that it happensovernight."
Prigoff said people do not intentionally become eatingdisordered and the disease often starts out as an innocent diettaken too far.
"Many experts consider a diet the gateway to an eatingdisorder," Prigoff said.
With all the dieting that goes on in college, especially withconcerns such as the rumored "freshman fifteen," Prigoff saidcolleges are a "hotbed" for eating disorders.
"There is a lot of pressure and a lot of stressors in college,such as being away from home," Prigoff said. "A lot of studentsexperiment with eating disordered behavior and while the behaviormay not reach the criteria for a full-blown eating disorder, thereis definitely a lot of disordered eating."
Another element adding fuel to eating disorders is theInternet.
Along with the many supportive Web sites devoted to helpingsufferers recover, many pro-eating disorder websites have popped upallowing people to exchange weight-loss tips, advice andencouragement on how to get sicker.
While it may baffle on-lookers, Prigoff said it makes sense tosufferers.
"Eating disorders are a lot about control issues, and suffererswill do anything to maintain control," Prigoff said.
Price said making sure such sites are taken off the Internet hasbeen a priority for ANAD.
"We've taken down hundreds of them," Price said.
Whatever the cause of the eating disorder, it is a lot easier todevelop an eating disorder than to recover from one.
Helms said her battle with recovery was a tough one.
"For treatment, I tried hospitalization, individual therapy andgroup therapy -- everything," Helms said.
According to statistics on the Anorexia Nervosa and RelatedEating Disorders, Inc. Web site, recovery success rates vary.
Sixty percent of those receiving treatment do eventuallyrecover, another 20 percent only make a partial recovery and theremaining 20 percent never recover at all.
Prigoff said there is a lot that goes into how well sufferersrespond to treatment.
"It depends on the type of eating disorder, severity andduration of it," Prigoff said. "The longer you have an eatingdisorder, the more risks there are."
As a sobering reminder of the importance of treatment, ANRED'sWeb site states that up to 20 percent of those with serious eatingdisorders will eventually die from the condition if leftuntreated.
While many eating disordered individuals spiral into the diseasewholeheartedly believing they will find happiness once they reachthat perfect weight, often times what they find instead is a wholehost of medical and psychological complications, some of which arelife threatening.
Some of the physical risks are cardiac arrest, kidney or liverdamage, bone loss, excess body hair, tooth decay and death, inaddition to mental problems such as depression, anxiety, feelingsof guilt and compulsive behaviors.
Helms said she almost died from the damage caused by her eatingdisorder.
"When I was in the hospital, I had kidney failure and abnormalheart rhythms," Helms said. "I still have low blood pressureproblems."
Now happily married with a son, Helms said she can't imaginegoing back to her eating disordered days.
"Having a baby changes everything -- I really feel like I'mfinally recovered," Helms said.
