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.
- Dizziness and fatigue
- Black-outs
- Extreme temperature sensitivity, significant hair growth especially on face
- Chest pains, stomach pains, tingling in hands or feet
- Blood in stools or vomit
- Incontinence or uncontrollable vomitting or diarrhea
- Significant weight loss of total average body weight in a short period of time
- Dramatic weight loss in a relatively short period of time
- Wearing big or baggy clothes or dressing in layers to hide body shape and/or weight loss
- Obsession with weight and complaining of weight problems (even if "average" weight or thin)
- Obsession with calories and fat content of foods
- Obsession with continuous exercise
- 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)
- Visible food restriction and self-starvation
- Visible bingeing and/or purging
- Use or hiding use of diet pills, laxatives, ipecac syrup (can cause immediate death!) or enemas
- Isolation. Fear of eating around and with others
- 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
- Hiding food in strange places (closets, cabinets, suitcases, under the bed) to avoid eating (Anorexia) or to eat at a later time (Bulimia)
- Flushing uneaten food down the toilet (can cause sewage problems)
- Vague or secretive eating patterns
- Keeping a "food diary" or lists that consists of food and/or behaviors (ie., purging, restricting, calories consumed, exercise, etc.)
- Pre-occupied thoughts of food, weight and cooking
- Visiting websites that promote unhealthy ways to lose weight
- Reading books about weight loss and eating disorders
- Self-defeating statements after food consumption
- Hair loss. Pale or "grey" appearance to the skin
- Dizziness and headaches
- Frequent soar throats and/or swollen glands
- 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
- Complaints of often feeling cold
- Low blood pressure
- Loss of menstrual cycle
- Constipation or incontinence
- Bruised or calluses knuckles; bloodshot or bleeding in the eyes; light bruising under the eyes and on the cheeks
- Perfectionistic personality
- Loss of sexual desire or promiscuous relations
- Mood swings. Depression. Fatigue
- Insomnia. Poor sleeping habits
- Fear of not being able to control eating, and while eating, not being able to stop
- Isolation. Fear of eating around and with others
- Chronic dieting on a variety of popular diet plans
- Holding the belief that life will be better if they can lose weight
- Hiding food in strange places (closets, cabinets, suitcases, under the bed) to eat at a later time
- Vague or secretive eating patterns
- Self-defeating statements after food consumption
- Blames failure in social and professional community on weight
- Holding the belief that food is their only friend
- Frequently out of breath after relatively light activities
- Excessive sweating and shortness of breath
- High blood pressure and/or cholesterol
- Leg and joint pain
- Weight gain
- Decreased mobility due to weight gain
- Loss of sexual desire or promiscuous relations
- Mood swings. Depression. Fatigue
- Insomnia. Poor Sleeping Habits