Society and the media teach men and women to be unhappy with their bodies. Eating disorders do not only apply to people who are overweight. And once you develop this problem, it is nearly impossible to escape without help. These are just some of the things that Pascack Valley sophomore Valery Berenshtein has learned over the course of the past two years, during her struggle with a serious eating disorder.

Now, after going through treatment that kept her out of school for several months, she is ready to share her story. Valery (Val, as most people call her) decided to make use of the Pascack Period Wednesday to share what she has been going through. She aimed to educate her peers about the gravity of having an eating disorder and to raise awareness for such a serious issue.

In front of a packed lecture hall, Val talked through her journey from middle school to high school. After being slightly bigger than “average” size in eighth grade, she was bullied and called names like “earthquake.” This, along with the fear of gaining weight, prompted her to eat less and less, eventually to the point of starving herself.

She developed anorexia and bulimia, and was soon in need of medical attention. Her condition deteriorated to the point where her doctor said her heart could have stopped any minute. This also had an impact on her mental state, as she fell into depression and started isolating her friends and family.

During her presentation, Val pointed out the importance of seeking help. She said that only one out of every 10 people with eating disorders receive treatment, with only 35 percent of the people who do receive treatment doing so at a specialized facility.

Furthermore, she noted how eating disorders and depression go hand in hand, and how many people who suffer from this resort to suicide. In fact, 20% of people who suffer from anorexia specially will prematurely die from either from medical complications or suicide.

Throughout the presentation, one message was clear: love yourself and your body. Everyone comes in different shapes and sizes, all of which are unique and accepted. Val found that 47 percent (almost half!) of girls in middle and high school report wanting to lose weight because of the media. If Val has a lasting message, it would be to accept your own body and not follow the same path that she unfortunately did.

Val also answered a few questions about her presentation:

Q: How much did you know about eating disorders before you developed one?

A: Absolutely nothing. First of all, I had no idea that eating disorders were mental illnesses; I saw them as a choice people made and persisted with. My knowledge was so minute that at the age of thirteen, I remember wishing to have anorexia rather than to be in the shape I was then. Second of all, I had no idea how many people were effected by it. I didn’t know anyone with a severe eating disorder, nor was I educated about it in school or at home. I truly believe if I had more knowledge on these illnesses when I was younger, I wouldn’t have let myself make the terrible choices I made that changed my mentality for a very long time.

Q: What made you want to run a lesson about this in school?

A: When I started treatment, I met so many incredible patients, dealing with the same issues, fears, and doubts as me. Meeting these people opened up my eyes to how present all different types of eating disorders are in our society and how blind society is to these illnesses; therefore, when I came back to school in February, I set a goal for myself to try and educate/spread awareness of ED (eating disorders) in our school.

Q: How nerve-racking was it to share your personal story in front of so many students?

A: It wasn’t as nerve-racking as I expected it to be! I have been very outspoken about this issue over social media, which, I believe, gave me the strength to speak about this in public. I do admit, though, that one period before presenting, I was very, very nervous.

Q: What do you think is the biggest thing that people don’t know or would be surprised about this condition?

A: Many people don’t understand that eating disorders, at their core, are mental illnesses. What may start off as an innocent choice, grows into a controlling, inescapable addiction. Something that I forgot to mention during my presentation was specifically how anorexia and bulimia controlled my life: it was as if I had a constant devilish voice in my head, telling me to not do this or to not do that. I was a slave to my own mentality, which had absolutely no control over.

Q: What advice do you have for other people who are currently battling eating disorders?

A: Seek treatment – there is a way out! When I was at my worst, I had no idea that I could ever live a normal life again: my relationship with food was ruined, my friendships were ruined, my family was falling apart. But, if I knew that, one-day, I would be where I am today, I would have had much more courage to embrace professional, medical help much sooner. I cannot say it enough: there is a way out! You can do it! It is time you take your life back – you deserve to be free!

Q: What is something that we can do to help out or educate people more about this condition?

A: In our school community, I think holding more assemblies and having every teacher, not just health teachers, address this with their students. This will not just educate and spread awareness, but it will also show people that these illnesses do exist, that we need to work on reducing them, and that it is OK to seek treatment if you or a loved one are effected. I would love to speak to the entire school about this more, and I know other students are willing to be vocal about this as well. As we shine more light on this issue in Pascack Valley, I want to expand this to the middle schools, towns/town halls, and hopefully involve the rest of Bergen County in helping educate and spreading awareness. These are definitely long-term goals, but I am willing to invest all my time and efforts into making them happen.