Posts Tagged “Young Adults”

Academic excellence can vanish almost overnight when eating disorders take hold. High-achieving students find themselves unable to concentrate, missing classes, and watching their GPAs plummet. The academic consequences extend far beyond temporary setbacks—they can derail entire educational trajectories.

Learn more about eating disorder treatment and school support for teens and families

Introducing Between Bites:

The Peace Meal podcast is launching Between Bites, a new series of short, focused episodes hosted by Dr. Jillian Lampert. Designed to offer quick insights and meaningful support for eating disorder recovery, these bite-sized conversations will explore practical topics in a more accessible format.

Episode description:

In this inaugural episode of Between Bites, Dr. Jillian Lampert explores the common concern of how eating disorder treatment fits into school life. She highlights that recovery and academics are not mutually exclusive, and delaying care for school can have lasting consequences. The episode addresses questions parents and students often ask—from middle school through college—about balancing coursework, treatment schedules, and future goals. Dr. Lampert emphasizes that prioritizing health is the best way to ensure long-term academic success and a fulfilling recovery journey.

When a straight-A student suddenly struggles with basic math problems, or a creative writer can’t finish a simple paragraph, the culprit might not be lack of effort. For students with eating disorders, the brain-school connection becomes disrupted in ways that many families don’t expect.

The impact goes far beyond missed meals affecting energy levels. Eating disorders fundamentally alter how the brain processes, stores, and retrieves information—the very functions students need to succeed academically.

Remember: A semester of modified academics is far better than years of struggling through school with an untreated eating disorder.

Learn more about eating disorder treatment and school support for teens and families

Episode description:

In this episode of Peace Meal, we hear from Darby Kellogg, a former collegiate runner who spent years in pseudo-recovery after receiving treatment for anorexia.

Darby reflects on how her eating disorder took root in the culture of competitive running, where an intense focus on performance, discipline, and “clean eating” often normalized or hid her disordered behaviors. When medical concerns forced her to stop training and enter inpatient care, she felt like she was losing the identity she had built around her sport. In the years that followed, Darby felt stuck in what she now recognizes as pseudo-recovery: doing what “looked right” externally while still following disordered rules internally. It’s an experience she says is more common than people realize, but rarely talked about. In this conversation, Darby shares how she came to recognize that surface-level recovery wasn’t enough, and what helped her begin the deeper, lasting work of true healing.

You don’t know what to do. You’ve never had to worry about your twelve-year-old son before. His school report cards consistently reflect his conscientiousness, situating him comfortably at the top of his classes. He demonstrates the same drive outside the classroom, where he’s established himself as a dependable scorer for the school’s soccer team.

But something’s been off lately, giving you a gnawing feeling in your gut. Your son seems to be regressing to the picky eating of his childhood. His palette is increasingly limited these days, and he alleges digestive problems when asked to gather with the family for dinner. He used to have a tight-knit group of friends, but recently has been declining birthday party invitations and isolating himself. His soccer coach has called you and suggested your son take a leave from the team—he fainted during this evening’s practice.

You know you need to act, but you’re facing pushback from your son. He meets your concerns with heightened defensiveness, firmly denying that anything is wrong. He’s doubling down on his already rigid study schedule, convinced that any disruptions will derail his high-achieving track. You understand that school can wait, but you’re struggling to get your son on board with taking the time for treatment. Is it possible his reaction and this resistance are related to his unusual food behaviors? You reason it would be easier for him to continue his top performance if he wasn’t battling these food issues, but you can’t be sure. You need guidance from those who have walked this path before—that’s where we come in.

Sports can have an incredibly positive effect on people’s lives, promoting social connection, self-confidence, and skills in teamwork and leadership. However, athletes also grapple with unique challenges, particularly when it comes to their relationship with food and their bodies. Research has shown that participation in sports can trigger or exacerbate eating disorders in those who are susceptible.

Read on to learn why athletes are at special risk of developing eating disorders, the signs to watch out for, and how these disorders can affect athletic performance.

The back-to-school season can trigger unique stressors and anxieties for students, especially those struggling with their relationship with food and their bodies. It’s important to remain on the lookout for signs of an eating disorder in your adolescent patients during this busy time of year.

Your role in supporting your patients with eating disorders cannot be overstated. By remaining compassionate and committed to your patients’ well-being, you have the ability to intervene early when you notice signs of an eating disorder, thereby improving treatment outcomes and reducing the risk of long-term harm. 

Read on to learn why the back-to-school season can be a catalyst for eating disorders and what you can do to help your patients.

For many people, college is a time of tremendous transition and change. It provides new freedom and responsibility and offers lessons in life far beyond the classroom.

It is a milestone time—and one far too often hijacked by eating disorders.

All types of eating disorders can develop, return, or worsen in young people during their college years. Though these illnesses occur across the lifespan, they are particularly prevalent between the ages of 18 and 21. Research has found that the median age of onset is 18 for anorexia and bulimia and 21 for binge eating disorder, both findings within the age range of the traditional college student.

This article examines eating disorders in college students, including potential risk factors, warning signs, and tools for screening and intervention. Learn what makes college students particularly vulnerable to these complex mental illnesses as well as ways to identify and support those affected by them during college and beyond.