Signs and Symptoms of Eating Disorders
Today, I want to take some time to talk about signs and symptoms of eating disorders, so you can feel more equipped to not only recognize signs in a loved one but also recognize them if you feel that you are struggling. So often ED behaviors get normalized or even praised in our society because of toxic diet culture. Someone may be described as “super disciplined” or “so healthy” when we are just praising an underlying ED. It is so important we shift this narrative and start to recognize ED behaviors and encourage people to seek help, because EDs have the second highest mortality rate of all psychiatric diagnoses just behind opioid abuse.
The first thing I want everyone to recognize is that we cannot make assumptions about a person’s ED struggle based on their body. According to research, less than 6% of those struggling with an ED are medically underweight. You cannot assume that someone is not struggling just because you believe that they are at a “normal weight.” Weight is NOT an adequate indicator of someone’s ED struggle.
Instead, we want to consider any shifts in a person’s behaviors. You may start noticing that they are isolating more or avoiding social situations that involve food. They may seem to be having more frequent mood swings or low moods. Then, if they do come to a social event involving food, they may move their food around their plate a lot or make excuses for not eating such as saying, “Oh, I just had a big meal or snack, so I’m not hungry.” Other behaviors that may appear around meals or eating times are drinking lots of water to mask hunger or immediately going to the bathrooms after eating. Someone may also start hiding food or eating in secret due to guilt or shame. Other signs may include wearing baggy clothes to hide their body or exercising more frequently. They likely will become super rigid with their exercise schedule to the point that it interferes with things that they prioritize such as time with loved ones.
These are all signs that we may be able to see from the outside, but what we are not able to see is how much their mind is preoccupied with food and body image. This constant battle creates so much anxiety and mental exhaustion and they are oftentimes feeling so alone in that battle! So, if you notice that most of your day is spent thinking negatively about your body and feeling shame or guilt around food, please seek out help. There is so much freedom in living a life outside of your eating disorder, and I so deeply want you to be able to experience that.
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/statistics/
Source: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/statistics/#general-eating-disorder-statistics