Ivy Silver suffered from bulimia from around age 16 to 23.
"My family didn't know about it. I kept it a secret. It was easy to hide," said the co-founder with her daughter, Rachel, of A Chance to Heal, a nonprofit based in Jenkintown that provides information about eating disorders and helps those who suffer from them. Silver, who saw a therapist for a short time and "didn't have it as bad as I could have," recovered, but when her daughter developed anorexia, she did not recognize it. "Her friends came to us and told us they were worried," Silver said.
"Friends can make a difference," she said. "Telling a parent or counselor is important and not 'ratting out' someone; it's saving their life."
The earlier a person gets help, the more likely and the more quickly he or she will recover, Silver said. "Parents need to be watchful ... you can ask your child; they may be looking for an opportunity to tell you," she added.
Silver's daughter, now 20, repeated her senior year in high school in order to take the time to recover at an inpatient facility.
"She had made the decision that she was going to get better; this was not going to ruin her life," Silver said. "I'm very proud of her. She made the choice to heal."
A Chance to Heal provides financial assistance to individuals with eating disorders, increases awareness of costs associated with recovery, advocates for better insurance coverage and provides education on early diagnosis and the influences that promote eating disorders. It sponsors information sessions for physicians, at schools and in people's homes on how to recognize, treat and get help for eating disorders.
More than 100 physicians attended an Oct. 25 seminar at Abington Memorial Hospital presented by three of the nonprofit's board members, Drs. Rosalind Kaplan and David Steinman and Jane Shure, Ph.D. A similar seminar was held earlier this year at Holy Redeemer Hospital.
There are two main types of eating disorders: anorexia and bulimia.
Those suffering from anorexia weigh less than 85 percent of ideal body weight, have an intense fear of weight gain and an unrealistic body image and have stopped menstruating.
Bulimia is marked by binge-eating followed by purging - through vomiting, laxatives, diuretics, enemas, fasting and/or exercise - at least twice a week for three or more months. Bulimics also have a self-image unduly influenced by weight.
A third category of disorders, which does not meet the full criteria of anorexia or bulimia but shares some symptoms, "may be the largest eating disorder, if characterized on its own," Kaplan said.
Eating disorders affect up to 10 percent of Americans and though usually associated with young women are seen in both genders of all ethnic backgrounds, age and socioeconomic groups, Kaplan said. They are also being seen more in older women, she said.
There is a higher incidence of eating disorders in athletes, particularly in "weight-specific" sports, such as cross country, crew, wrestling and gymnastics, and in those involved in dance, acting and modeling.
Kaplan stressed the need for physicians to screen their patients for the disorders, which can cause a myriad of health problems and in some cases be life-threatening.
Eating disorders may be caused by psychosocial, family dynamic, physiologic or genetic factors. The symptoms are attempts to manage feelings resulting from low self-esteem, depression and anxiety, Shure said.
"They don't know how to deal with the emotion inside," she noted. "They do it because people want to feel better," and the disorder provides a feeling of being in control, she said.
"They're not doing it to hurt themselves, they're doing it because they 'need' to do it," Kaplan said. "They won't tell if you don't ask them."
Eating disorders are a growing problem," Silver said, noting, "the media helps to make it difficult to have a positive body image."
In addition to educational outreach, A Chance to Heal provides financial assistance to those who can't afford to be hospitalized, through referrals from five health care facilities - Belmont, Renfrew, Princeton University and Hershey medical centers and Friends Hospital - that treat eating disorders, she said.
Eating disorders fall under mental health in terms of insurance coverage, which limits the number of visits and days for treatment, usually a 30-day maximum per year, said Silver, an employee benefits consultant.
"In our case [for her daughter] it took four and a half months of care and involved about $27,000 in out-of-pocket costs," she said.
A Chance to Heal raised $107,000 in 2005, its first year of operation, and about $145,000 so far this year, Silver said.
Tonight, Nov. 8, A Chance to Heal Foundation is sponsoring "Reclaim the True Beauty Within" with supermodel Emme as the guest speaker at Moore College of Art & Design, 20th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The foundation's main fundraiser for the year, the event begins at 5:45 p.m. with a donor wine reception, the lecture at 7 p.m. and an auction at 8 p.m. Tickets at the door are $35 for students and $65 for adults.
For more information on eating disorders or to make a donation, go to www.achancetoheal.org.
