Over the past few decades, the number of diagnosed eating disorders in adolescents has risen. Deerfield Academy students are not exempt from developing eating disorders, and numerous stressors such as living away from home, keeping up with academic work, and managing relationships all have the potential to exacerbate patterns of disordered eating.
The Scroll archives indicate that eating disorders have been prevalent and an openly discussed issue for nearly thirty years. In the Scroll’s 1995, Robert Dunphy ’97, founder of the Eating Issues Group, said he created it “in response to a demand for a varied, confidential, and effective counseling program to create a forum for the discussion of numerous eatingrelated problems.” With similar intentions, Kylie Davis ’14 started Deerfield’s Eating Disorder Support Group (EDSP) in March of 2012. Currently, neither of these groups are active.
For Deerfield students, campus life may contribute to an increase in these types of behaviors. In her May 2015 Scroll article “Raising Awareness For Eating Disorders,” Alexia Hernandez ’15 said, “A major source of interaction [at Deerfield] is through food, especially during feeds at night, so maybe we could find other important ways to interact with people and friends besides overwhelming amounts of food.” This past year, Deerfield changed the terminology of “feed” to “snack.” In a 2022 Scroll article, Counselor Sarah Rosenthal said this change was implemented because “sometimes people felt compelled to have large quantities of food, and that didn’t always feel comfortable for some folks.” By changing the word, administrators hope to remove some of its more forceful connotations.
Nutritional Education and Therapy and Outreach Coordinator Karyn Mancari has used her “Balanced Bites” column featured in previous Scroll issues (2019-2021) to discuss how to navigate eating on campus. In February 2020, she wrote that desserts, baked goods, or heartier meal options are “not meant to encourage unhealthy eating habits but to instead help teach moderation and flexibility with eating.” She also shared, “This idea of normalizing dessert is meant to minimize overeating.” She hopes that, by learning these skills in high school, “college and adult life will be easier to navigate as it can bring even more availability of food and emotional triggers.” Ms. Mancari also collaborates with many departments on campus including the Chen Health Center to support students with allergies; the Athletic Department to ensure proper nutrition for optimal athletic performance and well-being; and Director of Food Services Michael McCarthy to come up with the Dining Hall menu.
Other on-campus resources for students struggling with eating include the Counseling Office and Peer Counselors. Director of Counseling Jennifer Daily stressed Deerfield’s deep commitment to students’ health and well-being during an email interview. She said, “In addition to counseling with the Counseling Center team, we offer nutritional counseling for all of our students. We also have an eating disorder specialist that consults with our health center team and sees students individually on campus.” All of these services work closely with both students and their families.
Similarly, Peer Counselor Elizabeth Richards ’24 said, “If someone comes to us with signs of disordered eating, we can talk with them about any stressors in their life that may be contributing to their eating habits and help give them tactics to deal with stress that could indirectly help their eating behaviors.” In addition, Richards stressed that the Peer Counselors, counselors, and the on-campus nutritionist are all judgment-free resources for those concerned about themselves or a friend.
Acknowledging that the Chen Health Center and other oncampus resources do not provide the same level of support as an eating disorder program, Director of Medical Services Bryant Benson may refer students to an outside program if health center staff deems a student’s condition too severe.
Life at Deerfield can often be stressful for students, whether it be due to academics, social life, or eating habits. If you or someone around you is struggling with an eating issue, it is important to remember that various members of the Deerfield community are willing and able to help.
*The NEDA Helpline is 1-800-931-2237