Identifying an eating disorder
If you’re concerned that you or someone you care about has an eating disorder, consider these common feelings, actions and symptoms. Those who have a negative relationship with food may not understand the extent of their trouble or that eating disorders can be overcome. Call us to learn how we provide compassionate treatment and support.
Anorexia
- Weigh much less than is healthy or normal.
- Are very afraid of gaining weight.
- Think they are overweight even when they are very thin.
- Obsess about food, weight and dieting.
- Strictly limit how much they eat.
- Vomit or use laxatives or water pills (diuretics) so they won’t gain weight.
- Become secretive. They may pull away from family and friends, make excuses not to eat around other people and lie about their eating habits.
Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
- Eat too little food (or lack of diverse food), causing weight loss or nutritional deficiency
- Limited eating may be due to:
- Unpleasant sensory experience associated with food
- Concern about consequences of eating, such as getting sick
- Health concerns that impact appetite or digestion
- Concern about body shape or weight does not drive the disordered eating
Bulimia
- Eat way too much in a short time (called binging), often over a couple of hours or less, on a regular basis.
- Feel out of control and feel like they can’t stop eating during a binge.
- Go to the bathroom right after meals.
- Overeat but don’t gain weight.
- Are secretive about eating, hide food or won’t eat around other people.
- Purge to get rid of the food so they won’t gain weight. They may make themselves vomit, exercise very hard or for a long time, or misuse laxatives, enemas, water pills or other medicines.
Binge Eating Disorder
- Eat way too much in a short time, often over a couple of hours or less, on a regular basis.
- Eat for emotional reasons, such as being sad, angry, lonely or bored.
- Feel like they can’t stop eating and eat so much that they feel painfully full.
- Overeat and may gain weight.
- Feel unhappy, upset, guilty or depressed after they binge.
- Eat alone because they are embarrassed about how much they eat.
Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder
- Atypical Anorexia Nervosa describes a person who meets the criteria for anorexia nervosa, except that despite significant weight loss, the individual's weight currently falls within the normal range. Although this diagnosis includes the word "atypical,” it is more common in the population than anorexia nervosa.
- Bulimia Nervosa or Binge Eating (of low frequency /limited duration) describes a person with symptoms of bulimia nervosa or binge eating. However, the disordered eating behaviors do not occur at a high enough frequency to meet criteria for bulimia nervosa or binge eating.
- Purging Disorder describes a person who uses purging behaviors (such as self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or other medications) to influence weight without binge eating.
- Additionally, a person may be diagnosed with unspecified feeding or eating disorder if they experience disordered eating that is met.