On Trash Free Talk Tuesday, volunteers with trash cans will be at the Shaw Hall cafeteria during lunch and at The Gallery at Snyder and Phillips halls, Case Hall and Brody Square cafeterias for dinner. Students are encouraged to write their insecurities on paper and throw them away, said Becca Stolarsky, a journalism junior and vice president of communications for Alpha Omicron Pi.

“I think everyone always has doubts about the way they look,” she said. “I think (this) will definitely help make people feel a lot better about themselves — I think it’s a freeing thing.”

Although the events throughout the week are focused on eliminating negative body image on campus, raising awareness about eating disorders also is important, said Ronda Bokram, RUBI adviser and nutritionist at Olin Health Center.

Nationally, about 0.5 percent of women suffer from anorexia nervosa and 1 percent to 3 percent suffer from bulimia, said Kelly Klump, associate professor of psychology. However, the number of women who suffer from symptoms of the disorders is higher, she said. About 10 percent to 25 percent of people have had symptoms of eating disorders.

At MSU, the number of students who have sought treatment through Olin Health Center has increased in the past several years, said Dennis Martell, a health education services coordinator for
Olin Health Center. The increase is influenced by the misconception in society that thinness means healthiness, he said.

“You can find health at any size, and we need to quit being so obsessive about losing weight,” Martell said.

People develop eating disorders because of underlying psychiatric issues, Bokram said. On average, it takes about five years to recover from a mental illness, she said, with recovery sometimes being a “daunting process.”

“I don’t think anyone ever chooses having an eating disorder,” Bokram said. “When you feel like you’re ready to work on recovery, you really have never realized how difficult that can be.”

Without treatment, anorexia can lead to death. Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder, Bokram said. Despite this, people suffering with the disorder will continue unless they want to change, she said.

“You disassociate from that or (convince yourself) that you will be able to back off from not eating before that happens,” Bokram said.

In addition to bringing awareness to the problem of eating disorders, the events aim to help students feel more confident about their physical appearance, Stolarsky said.

“I think it will help (students) remember that they’re beautiful (and) they have no reason to hurt themselves or their body,” she said. “It sounds sappy and cliché, but everyone has something to be proud of physically (and) mentally.”