Lauren Watanabe considers herself a perfectionist. "I have always felt that there has only has been one distinct path for me," she said. "In my mind, becoming valedictorian, obtaining leadership roles in clubs and organizations, and paving a straight road to a stellar law career was all that I needed."

One thing Watanabe didn’t factor into her plan for success was an eating disorder. While attending Roosevelt High School, she was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, a common eating disorder involving an intense fear of gaining weight, causing sufferers to severely limit their food intake and become dangerously thin.

Watanabe said she would exercise compulsively, going on two or three runs, attending hot-yoga classes and swimming laps all in one day.

"All this exercise and lack of nutrition took a toll on my body, which caused me to fracture both sides of my hips," she said.

Her parents "were both in shock" when they learned of her eating disorder. At first only her immediate family was told, Watanabe said.

"I wanted to keep quiet about my illness because I felt like it was taboo to say that I had an eating disorder. I feared people would think of me as weak," she said.

She began suffering from anorexia at age 15, when the pressures of high school were starting to build. She managed to get straight A’s and play sports, graduating in 2010 and enrolling at Georgetown in Washington, D.C., to pursue a law degree.

"I felt the need to please my family and peers … to be the best no matter the cost," she said. "I felt the need to control something, anything in my life," so she began limiting her diet to just a few low-calorie foods and following certain "rituals" at the dining table, such as eating very slowly, drinking large amounts of water and dabbing oil off food.

Watanabe said she finally sought help when her condition deteriorated. "I was a sophomore at Georgetown University and forced to put my college career on hold to seek treatment," she said.

She now lives with her parents and regularly participates in eating-disorder support groups and individual counseling sessions.

"The lack of nutrients hindered my brain function, and in the end I was no longer the Lauren that I or anyone else used to know," she explained. "I became extremely moody, hateful and pessimistic about life. I isolated myself from my friends and everyone who cared about me. Every relationship I had buckled and some were ruined for good."

Under the guidance of a nutritionist and therapist, she no longer is obsessed with exercising and instead uses physical activity "to blow off steam."

"I find that remaining active by running, doing yoga and surfing helps me to stay balanced and are excellent outlets for me to release my energy and stress," she said.

Working with a nutritionist and psychiatrist was a huge relief, she explained.

"Recovery is about learning to accept who you are and be comfortable in your own skin," she added. "It’s about finding your own voice and most importantly being real with yourself and others. It’s a part of me learning to be vulnerable and say, ‘Hey, I’m not perfect.’"

Watanabe, now 19, plans to return to Georgetown in the fall. She is sharing her story because she wants others to be aware of the serious nature of eating disorders.

"I know people associate eating disorders with models or celebrities who are pressured by the media to be thin. This is not always the case," she said. "I view eating disorders as I would view cancer: a serious illness with the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses."