RICHARDSON, TEXAS—
Since 1973 thousands of young girls have played soccer at the The Sting Complex in Richardson including Morgan Field who went on to play soccer at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.Morgan never suffered from eating disorders while she played but experts believe it's a growing problem.
Morgan has an idea why.
"I think that constant drive, that constant ambition, it's easy to get side-tracked and sometimes you don't even notice that it could be an issue, but you still have a problem," Morgan said.
Kimberly Dennis said she did have an eating disorder when she played basketball, volleyball and soccer.
"I suffered from bulimia and started with binging and purging."
Dennis is now now Dr. Dennis and Medical Director at Chicago's Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center. Dr. Dennis says individual sports like diving and gymnastics pose a greater risk for female athletes but all sports put young girls at a more risk than the general population.
"For those with genetic predispositions or life experience dispositions being involved in a sport and with an athletic culture really applauds people for taking these things to the extreme can add to the risk for a certain population," Dr. Dennis said.
Girls who are super competitive and perfectionists are at even greater risk. Kenny Medina has coached girls soccer for three years and said he watches for weight loss and behavioral changes.
"Their eating patterns change but when they eat with the players for breakfast for lunches, the players pick up on it, sometimes the managers pick up on it and our approach is there could be a potential problem with a particular athlete," Medina said.
Dr. Dennis knows first hand how eating disorders can spiral out of control.
"I want any young woman or even young men with an eating disorder to know that they are not alone and it's a medical disease and there is help available."
The National Institute of Mental Health estimates 1 in 5 women struggle wtih an eating disorder.
