Eating Disorders Symptoms

Anorexia Nervosa
Bulimia Nervosa
Compulsive Overeating

ANOREXIA NERVOSA

Noticeable weight loss
Becoming withdrawn
Excessive exercise
Fatigue
Always being cold
Muscle weakness
Obsession with food, calories, recipes
Excuses for not eating meals (ie. ate earlier, not feeling well)
Unusual eating habits (ie. cutting food into tiny pieces, picking at food)
Noticeable discomfort around food
Complaining of being "too fat", even when thin
Cooking for others, but not eating themselves
Restricting food choices to only diet foods
Guilt or shame about eating
Depression, irritability, mood swings
Evidence of vomiting, laxative abuse, diet pills or diuretics to control weight
Irregular menstruation
Amenorrhea (loss of menstruation)
Wearing baggy clothes to hide weight loss
Frequently checking weight on scale
Fainting spells and dizziness
Difficulty eating in public
Very secretive about eating patterns
Pale complexion (almost a pasty look)
Headaches
Perfectionistic attitude
Feelings of self worth determined by what is or is not eaten
No known physical illness that would explain weight loss

BULIMIA NERVOSA

Binge eating
Secretive eating (food missing)
Bathroom visits after eating
Vomiting
Laxative, diet pill or diuretic abuse
Weight fluctuations (usually with 10-15 lb range)
Swollen glands
Broken blood vessels
Harsh exercise regimes
Fasting
Mood swings
Depression
Severe self-criticism
Self-worth determined by weight
Fear of not being able to stop eating voluntarily
Self-deprecating thoughts following eating
Fatigue
Muscle weakness
Tooth decay
Irregular heartbeats
Avoidance of restaurants, planned meals or social events
Complains of sore throat
Need for approval from others
Substance abuse
Ipecac abuse

COMPULSIVE OVEREATING

Binge eating
Fear of not being able to stop eating voluntarily
Depression
Self-deprecating thoughts following binges
Withdrawing from activities because of embarrassment about weight
Going on many different diets
Eating little in public, while maintaining a high weight
Believing they will be a better person when thin
Feelings about self based on weight
Social and professional failures attributed to weight
Feeling tormented by eating habits
Weight is focus of life

Resources:
-Surviving an Eating Disorder: Perspectives and Strategies for Family and Friends by Michelle Siegel, Ph.D., Judith Brisman, Ph.D., and Margot Weinshel, Ph.D. - Harper & Row Publishers, NY, 1988
-Walking A Thin Line by Pam Vredevelt and Joyce Whitman - Mullnomah Press, Oregon 1985
-Eating Disorders Handout - Sudbury General Hospital Eating Disorders Clinic (information for handout obtained from NEDIC)

Revised: 20 Sep 2011 11:21:59 -0400.