Signs and Symptoms of Eating Disorders

For the anorexic or bulimic who exhibits any of the following signs it's essential to encourage them to seek medical help or inpatient treatment immediately.

1. Dizziness and fatigue
2. Black-outs
3. Extreme temperature sensitivity, significant hair growth especially on face
4. Chest pains, stomach pains, tingling in hands or feet
5. Blood in stools or vomit
6. Incontinence or uncontrollable vomitting or diarrhea
7. Significant weight loss of total average body weight in a short period of time
8. Dramatic weight loss in a relatively short period of time
9. Wearing big or baggy clothes or dressing in layers to hide body shape and/or weight loss
10. Obsession with weight and complaining of weight problems (even if "average" weight or thin)
11. Obsession with calories and fat content of foods
12. Obsession with continuous exercise
13. Frequent trips to the bathroom immediately following meals (sometimes accompanied with water running in the bathroom for a long period of time to hide the sound of vomiting)
14. Visible food restriction and self-starvation
15. Visible bingeing and/or purging
16. Use or hiding use of diet pills, laxatives, ipecac syrup (can cause immediate death!) or enemas
17. Isolation. Fear of eating around and with others
18. Unusual Food rituals such as shifting the food around on the plate to look eaten; cutting food into tiny pieces; making sure the fork avoids contact with the lips (using teeth to scrap food off the fork or spoon); chewing food and spitting it out, but not swallowing; dropping food into napkin on lap to later throw away
19. Hiding food in strange places (closets, cabinets, suitcases, under the bed) to avoid eating (Anorexia) or to eat at a later time (Bulimia)
20. Flushing uneaten food down the toilet (can cause sewage problems)
21. Vague or secretive eating patterns
22. Keeping a "food diary" or lists that consists of food and/or behaviors (ie., purging, restricting, calories consumed, exercise, etc.)
23. Pre-occupied thoughts of food, weight and cooking
24. Visiting websites that promote unhealthy ways to lose weight
25. Reading books about weight loss and eating disorders
26. Self-defeating statements after food consumption
27. Hair loss. Pale or "grey" appearance to the skin
28. Dizziness and headaches
29. Frequent soar throats and/or swollen glands
30. Low self-esteem. Feeling worthless. Often putting themself down and complaining of being "too stupid" or "too fat" and saying they don't matter. Need for acceptance and approval from others
31. Complaints of often feeling cold
32. Low blood pressure
33. Loss of menstrual cycle
34. Constipation or incontinence
35. Bruised or calluses knuckles; bloodshot or bleeding in the eyes; light bruising under the eyes and on the cheeks
36. Perfectionistic personality
37. Loss of sexual desire or promiscuous relations
38. Mood swings. Depression. Fatigue
39. Insomnia. Poor sleeping habits

Signs and Symptoms of Compulsive Overeating / Binge Eating

1. Fear of not being able to control eating, and while eating, not being able to stop
2. Isolation. Fear of eating around and with others
3. Chronic dieting on a variety of popular diet plans
4. Holding the belief that life will be better if they can lose weight
5. Hiding food in strange places (closets, cabinets, suitcases, under the bed) to eat at a later time
6. Vague or secretive eating patterns
7. Self-defeating statements after food consumption
8. Blames failure in social and professional community on weight
9. Holding the belief that food is their only friend
10. Frequently out of breath after relatively light activities
11. Excessive sweating and shortness of breath
12. High blood pressure and/or cholesterol
13. Leg and joint pain
14. Weight gain
15. Decreased mobility due to weight gain
16. Loss of sexual desire or promiscuous relations
17. Mood swings. Depression. Fatigue
18. Insomnia. Poor Sleeping Habits