Eating Disorder Symptoms
Recognize danger signs to help determine if you or a loved one could be at risk.
Individuals suffering from eating disorders like Anorexia, Bulimia or Compulsive Overeating, may be unaware that they have a disorder or may have difficulty asking for help. Below are some "danger signs" to help determine if you, or a loved one, could be at risk for having an eating disorder. If three or more of the following symptoms apply to you or a loved one please contact us as there may be risk for an eating disorder:
- Thoughts about “feeling fat”
- Fear of gaining weight
- Feelings of loss of control when eating
- Making excuses to avoid family meals
- Staying away from social situations that involve eating
- Weight determines self-esteem
- Body image obsession
- Counting calories and fat grams when you eat
- Guilt or shame after eating
- Repeated attempts at dieting
- Eating large amounts of food in a short period of time
- Rituals to make what one eats less obvious
- Self-consciousness or embarrassment about eating
- Sneaking food
- Lying about eating habits
- Restrictive eating
- Self-induced vomiting
- Laxative abuse
- Diuretic abuse
- Use of diet pills
- Use of Ipecac
- Compulsive exercise
- Exercising because you feel you have to, not because you want to
- Eating to relieve stress or depression
- Perfectionism
- Eating when not hungry
- Eating sensibly in front of others and then making up for it when alone
- Depression
- Low body weight
- Embarrassment about body weight
- Low self-esteem
- Difficulty identifying or expressing feelings
- Strict dieting
- Fasting
- Menstrual irregularities
- Gastrointestinal complaints
If you take the first step to help yourself or someone you love, we’ll be there to do the rest.