Equip: Is It an Eating Disorder?
If you’re concerned you or a loved one may be struggling with an eating disorder, this assessment is a good place to start. Below are common signs and symptoms of an eating disorder. Circle all you’ve observed:
Around Food
- Starting any new diet, including an interest in “clean” or “healthy” eating
- Cutting out entire food groups, including going gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, etc.
- Avoiding situations that involve eating with other
- An unnatural focus on what others eat
- Inflexibility about what, when, or how much to eat
- Fixation on food’s nutritional and/or caloric content
- Visiting the bathroom immediately after eating
- New interest in cooking, without eating the foo`
- Eating in secret
- Ritualistic eating (cutting food to a certain size, chewing a certain number of times, arranging dishware a certain way, etc.
- Rigidity around certain ingredients, food brands, or food preparations (i.e., refusal to eat anything fried
- A longer list of forbidden foods than acceptable food
- A long history of picky eating that has gotten worse over time
- Consistently struggling to eat or to eat enough food
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Socially
- Social withdraw or disinterest
- Concern over judgement from peers
- Inability to describe emotions
- Becoming more childlike
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Around exercise
- Exercising intensely but without joy
- Expressing or showing a need to compensate for eating with exercise
- Driven exercise: exercising in bad weather or while sick
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Thoughts
- Fear of "over-eating" or gaining weight from a particular meal
- A strong belief one's body is "too large" or "too" anything
- Frequently checking and scrutinizing one's body in reflections, photos, etc.
- Skipping activities or events due to how one looks
- Self-criticism for eating or not exercising
- Ongoing need for reassurance about physical appearance
- An inability to recognize that they may have a problem (a condition known as anosognosia)
- Fear of chocking, vomiting, pain, or getting ill after eating
- Unfounded fear of allergic reaction from safe foods
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Medically
- Fluctuations in weight
- Noticeable and/or rapid weight loss or gain
- Loss of period
- Frequent stomach pain or gastrointestinal distress
(constipation, bloating, etc.)
- I Fainting, weakness, or dehydration
- Injuries from over exercise
- Requiring nutritional supplements to grow or meet nutritional requirements
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Mood
- Flat affect or absence of emotion
- Irritability
- Mood swing
- Hyperactivity and restlessness
- Increased rigidity or anxiety
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All of the above are signs of an eating disorder, disordered eating, and/or body image distress. If you checked off more than two or your loved one may be struggling with one of these issues. We encourage you to explore the resources on our website to learn more, and to reach out for a professional assessment.
