How Can You Tell If Someone Has An Eating Disorder?
- Image by Steven Amoxes via Etsy.com
Eating disorders have a wide of spectrum; from the anorexic
who under-eats, the bulimic who eats with purging and the binge eater who
overeats on food without purging. Here are some signs to look for:
The following symptoms occur in (most) eating disorders:
Lack of Normalcy –
A “diet” or “behavior” escalates into an eating disorder addiction when an
individuals binging, overeating, obsessing, purging, starving, calorie
counting etc… starts to interfere with everyday life. Often the eating disorder
addiction will start to negatively impact the individuals home life, relationships,
outings, studying, work etc..
Isolation – Often
time’s people with eating disorders will isolate, like with many other
addictions the person suffering from an eating disorder may feel shame about
their behavior or may want others to see only a certain side of them, not
revealing the behavior they see as flawed.
Hiding – A person with an eating disorder may begin
hiding food and food behaviors from others, not wanting anyone to know what is
going on. They may insist they have “Just
eaten” or will “eat later.” A person
with an eating disorder may be able to exhibit eating that appears to be usual
at times, they may even participate in outings where food is involved but, this
same person may leave that outing and binge or purge or begin a exercise or
restriction regimen that they believe will delete that food from their bodies.
Comparing – Women
with eating disorders may spend much time comparing their bodies to the bodies
of others; they may find their bodies unacceptable or disgusting, though to
others they may seem completely appropriate.
Anorexia Symptoms
- Complaints of being cold
- Loss of scalpel hair
- Loss of menstrual period
- Overgrowth of facial hair
- Constipation
- Fasting
- Repetitive cleanses and/or detoxes
- Classifies “good food” and “bad food”
- Skipping meals
- Under eating
Binge Eating Symptoms
- Frequent episodes of eating abnormally large amount of food
- Complaints of being unable to control what or how much they
eat - Eating rapidly
- Eating burnt, frozen, stale or expired food
- Eating until uncomfortably full
- Eating alone out of embarrassment at the quantity of food
being eaten - Feelings of disgust, depression, or guilt after binging
- Fluctuations in weight
- Frequent dieting
Bulimia Symptoms
- Vomiting and laxative Abuse
- Under dosing insulin
- Fluctuations in weight
- Frequent dieting
- Person may be under-, over-, or normal
weight - Swollen glands, puffiness in the cheeks, or
broken vessels under the eyes - Unexplained tooth decay
- Bathroom visits after meals
- Rigid and harsh exercise regimes
- Bingeing that may alternate with fasting
- Preoccupation / constant talk about food or
weight - Shoplifting (sometimes food or laxatives)
- Fear of being fat, regardless of weight
Eating Disorder Self Test. Take the EAT-26 self test to see if you might have eating disorder symptoms that might require professional evaluation. All answers are confidential.