DeKALB | To provide strength for those struggling with eating disorders, NIU student Carrie Frodin started a local Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders support group.

ANAD, a national organization that began in the 1970s, is based out of Highland Park and provides services and information on eating disorders as well as opportunities to initiate ANAD support groups.

Frodin, a senior biology major and group leader of ANAD in DeKalb, said she started the group in early September to provide others with the resources, confidence and support to get well. Frodin said she believes support groups are extremely important for those trying to recover from eating disorders.

“I think that it is very beneficial for eating-disordered individuals to meet and talk with one another, to share their stories of triumphs and seek support when things aren’t going so well,” Frodin said. “We would like people to leave [each meeting] in a better place than they were in.”

Group meetings take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. every Tuesday in the conference room of the Women’s Resource Center. Meetings are open to all eating-disordered individuals ages 16 and older.

One way members show support for one another is by setting weekly goals and then following up on them, Frodin said. Members are also there to listen, encourage one another and give each other hope that recovery is possible.

She said the group helped her build trust, accountability, honesty with herself and others, and provided ways to help others.

Christy White, an Aurora resident and co-leader of the ANAD support group, said she thinks the group is absolutely beneficial for those with eating disorders.

“The group lets you know you are not the only one who ‘thinks’ this way [with eating-disorder thinking],” White said. “When I go to the group, I am always impressed by the effort that others put into their own recovery, and inspired to continue my own efforts and not slip.”

Martha O’Gormon, a registered and licensed dietician for NIU Health Service, said she has been counseling those with eating disorders for more than 10 years. O’Gormon said she meets with many individuals with disordered thoughts about eating, body image and weight issues. Though she said treatment is necessary for those with eating disorders, a support group can primarily help students understand they are not alone in their struggles.

“The media’s focus on fad diets confuses many of us,” O’Gormon said. “I believe that the most helpful preventive measure we could do on the college campus is to promote healthy eating and improve self-esteem.”