in the genes

Heredity may also play a factor.

"You can’t blame the culture only," Heebink says. "There’s a real biology involved in eating disorders."

Anorexics tend to have higher levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain that is linked to obsessive behaviors.

"If your grandmother was obsessive-compulsive, you’re at a higher risk," Heebink says.

Conversely, bulimics tend to have lower levels of serotonin, which makes them prone to depression and an inability to control impulses. Gelibter estimates that about 50 percent of his patients have a genetic tendency towards compulsivity or addiction.

Heredity may have been a factor in Mysko’s bulimia. Her father had been diagnosed with depression.

Mysko began interning at the American Anorexia Bulimia Association after therapy helped her work through her disorders.

She is now studying for her master’s degree in gender studies at the New School for Social Research in New York.

"I realized that I had spent so much time dealing with this issue in my own life, that I wanted to contribute in a significant way," Mysko says.