What Are the Signs and Symptoms of an Eating Disorder?

Disclaimer: the following questionnaire is not a substitute for the diagnosis of an eating disorder from a licensed healthcare professional. Please call your doctor for further care.

1. When eating do you ever feel out of control or like you will lose control and not be able to stop? Do you try to avoid eating because of this fear?
2. Do you typically feel guilty after a binge, or after any snack or meal? After eating do you feel like you have instantly gained weight, like you are a failure or like you have sabotaged yourself?
3. Do you use self-starvation, purging, diet pills, laxatives, diuretics, or obsessive exercise as a way to attempt to lose weight?
4. Do you drink a lot of water, tea or coffee, eat a lot of gum, smoke, or take caffeine pills as an attempt to control appetite?
5. Do you weigh yourself often and does the number on the scale dictate your mood and self-worth for the day? Are you continuously trying to get that number lower?
6. Are you constantly "on a diet", counting calories and fat grams?
7. Do you feel like you've tried every "fad diet" or "lose weight quick" scheme?
8. Do you set weight-goals for yourself only to find when you reach it that you want to lose more?
9. Do you do hide or steal food?
10. Do you use laxatives or diet pills; eat or exercise secretively?
11. Do you avoid eating in public or around others?
12. Do you wear clothes that hide your weight; or make excuses to avoid meals?
13. Are you secretive about your eating practices?

If you answered YES to one or more of the above statements, you may have an eating disorder. You are not alone and help is available. Early detection and treatment is critical, do not hesitate. 

Remember, many men and women with eating disorders appear not to be underweight or overweight. It does not mean they suffer less or are in any less danger.

Here are some of the many signs of an eating disorder:

• Dramatic weight loss in a relatively short period of time.
• Wearing big or baggy clothes or dressing in layers to hide body shape and/or weight loss.
• Obsession with weight and complaining of weight problems (even if they are "average" weight or thin).
• Obsession with calories and fat content of foods.
• Obsession with continuous exercise.
• Frequent trips to the bathroom immediately following meals (sometimes accompanied with water running in the bathroom for a long period of time to hide the sound of vomiting).
• Visible food restriction and self-starvation.
• Bingeing and/or purging.
• Use or hiding use of diet pills, laxatives, ipecac syrup or enemas.
• Isolation.
• Fear of eating around and with others.
• Unusual food rituals such as shifting the food around on the plate to make it look eaten; cutting food into tiny pieces; chewing food and spitting it out, but not swallowing; dropping food into napkin on lap to later throw away.
• Hiding food in strange places such as in closets, cabinets, suitcases, under the bed to avoid eating or to eat at a later time.
• Flushing uneaten food down the toilet.
• Odd or secretive eating patterns.
• Pre-occupied thoughts of food, weight and cooking.
• Visiting web sites that promote unhealthy ways to lose weight.
• Reading books about weight loss and eating disorders.
• Self-defeating statements after food consumption.
• Hair loss.
• Dizziness and headaches.
• Frequent sore throats or swollen glands.
• Low self-esteem.
• Feeling worthless.
• Often putting themselves down and complaining of being "too stupid" or "too fat" and saying they don't matter.
• Need for acceptance and approval from others.
• Complaints of often feeling cold.
• Low blood pressure and/or heart rate.
• Menorah (loss of menstrual cycle)
• Bruised or calluses knuckles
• Bloodshot or bleeding in the eyes
• Loss of sexual desire or promiscuous sexual relations.
• Mood swings.
• Depression.
• Fatigue.
• Poor sleeping habits.