Disordered eating in the legal profession

Editor’s note: This article covers the topic of eating disorders. If you are struggling with an eating disorder, know you are not alone. You can find resources at nationaleatingdisorders.org/get-help/ or by calling the Missouri Lawyers’ Assistance Program at 1-800-688-7859.

Preoccupation with weight, food, calories, or dieting; making excuses to avoid mealtimes or situations with food; extreme concern with body size and shape; noticeable fluctuations in weight (both up and down); stomach cramps or gastrointestinal complaints; and difficulties with concentration can all be symptoms of disordered eating, according to the National Eating Disorders Association.

Feb. 24-March 2 is Eating Disorder Awareness Week. Working in the legal profession can be stressful, and stress has been associated with several disorders, including eating disorders.

In a 2014 survey of law students, 27% of respondents screened positive for an eating disorder (18% of males and 34% of females). The rate of eating disorders among other graduate students was 14%.¹ However, only 3% of law school respondents reported they had a diagnosis for an eating disorder.

“Clinical studies indicate an association between stress and eating disorder (ED) onset and symptom expression, similar to what has been observed for stress and drug addiction,” according to a 2015 study.²

“Eating disorders are serious but treatable mental and physical illnesses that can affect people of all genders, ages, races, religions, ethnicities, sexual orientations, body shapes, and weights,” according to NEDA.

The NEDA lists several types of eating disorders, including:

— Anorexia nervosa – characterized by weight loss, difficulties maintaining and appropriate body weight, and, in many individuals, distorted body image.

— Bulimia nervosa – characterized by a cycle of bingeing and compensatory behaviors such as self-induced vomiting designed to compensate for the effects of binge eating.

— Binge eating disorder – characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating and eating larger amounts of food in a discrete period of time than most people would in the same situation.

If this sounds like you or a lawyer you know, there is hope! Recovery can take months or years, and “moving forward is key, however slow it might be,” NEDA states.

Seeking help for an eating disorder is crucial, as eating disorders have the highest risk of death of any mental illness, according to Johns Hopkins.³  An active support system is often key.

NEDA offers a free online screening that can connect you with treatment or support options. Find it at Nationaleatingdisorders.org/screening-tool. It also lists several available support and treatment resources.  

The National Alliance for Eating Disorders offers a free hotline at 1-866-662-1235, available 8 a.m.-6 p.m. central time Monday through Friday.

You can talk more about your eating habits or concerns with a licensed counselor through the Missouri Lawyers’ Assistance Program at no cost. MOLAP can also connect you to professional resources. Call 1-800-688-7859 to connect with MOLAP. All services are strictly confidential.

¹ Jerome M. Organ, et. al, Suffering in Silence: The Survey of Law Student Well-Being and the Reluctance of Law Students to Seek Help for Substance Use and Mental Health Concerns, 66 J. Legal Educ. 116 (2016).

² J.A. Hardaway, et. al, Integrated circuits and molecular components for stress and feeding: implications for eating disorders, 14 Genes Brain Behav. 85 (2014).

³ Myths and facts about eating disorders in adolescents, Johns Hopkins Medicine, https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/eating-disorders/facts-about-eating-disorders-in-adolescents (last visited Feb. 27, 2025).