Anorexia Signs

Many people worry about their weight or how they look. Therefore, it’s not always easy to differentiate between Anorexia signs and “normal” weight concerns or dieting. This is especially true in the early stages of Anorexia, when a person will deny they have a problem and go to great lengths to hide any Anorexia signs. As the disorder progresses, it is easier to identify “red flags,” but by then the illness has often significantly progressed.

 

Knowing and recognizing both early and late Anorexia signs, then, is critical for early intervention (making treatment easier and more likely to succeed), getting the right help, and ultimately saving a life.

 

You can be proactive in helping someone identify and get help for his/her problem by being aware of warning Anorexia signs. Here are some of the warning Anorexia signs to watch for:

  • Refusal to maintain a normal body weight; Intense fear of gaining weight despite being underweight; Distorted view of one’s body or weight; Loss of menstrual periods; Excess energy; Feeling cold; Dry skin; Binging and Purging behaviors; Vigorous, compulsive exercising; Abuse of diuretics and laxatives; Obsession with calories, food, or nutrition; Avoidance of eating in public; Eating alone, at night, or secretly.

Other behavioral Anorexia signs also point to the likelihood of a problem:

 

Wearing baggy clothes or multiple layers in order to hide one’s body; cooking large meals for other people; rigid mentality; need for control; ritualistic eating - i.e. excessive chewing or cutting food into tiny pieces; abnormal eating patterns - i.e. eating only one or two foods, eating strange food combinations, or eating at very specific times; complete avoidance of certain food types such as fats or carbohydrates; increasing social isolation.

 

If anorexia goes unchecked, the disorder progresses, and anorexia signs get worse while health deteriorates and problems grow. Over time, more anorexia signs that might appear include:

Hair loss; Infertility; Heart problems; Low potassium; Dizziness or fainting; Tooth and gum decay due to vomiting and malnutrition; Damage to the esophagus and larynx from acid reflux.

Anorexia has severe emotional effects as well. Emotional Anorexia signs include: Depression, Extreme mood swings, Suicidal thoughts.

If you suspect that you might be suffering from Anorexia, or if you know someone exhibiting some of these Anorexia signs, there are many clinics, drop-in centers, and doctors and therapists that specialize in treating eating disorders who would be happy to meet and talk with you confidentially about your suspicions and your options.

There are also some online tests that test for an eating disorder. If you notice Anorexia signs in yourself or someone else, there are two well-known tests on the Internet called the Q-EDD and EAT-26 (Eating Attitudes Test). However, while this is a good first step towards recognizing a problem, someone with Anorexia signs should be encouraged and supported to seek professional help as soon as possible.