Do I Have an Eating Disorder?

Eating disorders are much more prevalent than many people realize. In the U.S. alone, more than 30 million people will struggle with one. An eating disorder is a complex mental illness that affects an individual’s eating habits and can cause severe distress about body weight and shape. Disturbed eating patterns can look anything like extreme food restriction to periods of excessive food intake.

How do we know when disordered eating becomes an eating disorder? It can be difficult to distinguish between the two when dieting is so prevalent and excessive exercise is glorified. However, eating disorders, unlike disordered eating, impair one’s health and ability to function in terms of life goals, relationships, career, and more. 

There are many types of eating disorders, each with an array of signs and symptoms, including anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, ARFID, and OSFED. In this article, we will cover the warning signs and symptoms of an eating disorder, the key questions to ask yourself if you are concerned you have one, and the misperception that eating disorders only affect young, thin, white women.

Warning Signs and Symptoms of an Eating Disorder

The warning signs of an eating disorder can sometimes be difficult to detect, especially in a culture that normalizes disordered eating. It is also common for many people with eating disorders to experience denial about their struggle with food. Eating disorders affect a person physically, behaviorally, emotionally, and psychologically. Some people experience weight changes as a result of their disorder; others do not. Knowing the warning signs and symptoms of eating disorders is often the first step in determining if you are suffering from one. If you feel that you may have developed an eating disorder, reflect on the following signs and symptoms:

• Dramatic weight gain or loss
• Frequently talking about food, weight, and shape
• Rapid or persistent decline or increase in food intake
• Excessive or compulsive exercise patterns
• Purging, restricting, binge eating, or compulsive eating
• Abuse of diet pills, laxatives, diuretics, or emetics
• Denial of food and eating problems, despite the concerns of others
• Eating in secret, hiding food, disrupting meals, feeling out of control with food
• Medical complications, such as menstrual irregularity, dizziness, fainting, bruising, dry skin, leg cramps, hair loss, brittle hair, osteoporosis, diarrhea, constipation, dental problems, diabetes, chest pain, heart disease, heartburn, shortness of breath, organ failure, and other serious symptoms

What to Ask Yourself if You Think You Have an Eating Disorder 

The earlier you receive proper treatment for an eating disorder, the better the outcome will be. Here are the questions we recommend asking yourself: 

• Do you worry about your weight and body shape more than other people? 
• Do you avoid certain foods for reasons other than allergies or religious reasons? 
• Are you often on a diet? 
• Do you feel your weight is an important aspect of your identity? 
• Are you fearful of gaining weight? 
• Do you often feel out of control when you eat? 
• Do you regularly eat what others may consider to be a large quantity of food at one time? 
• Do you regularly eat until feeling uncomfortably full? 
• Do you hide what you eat from others, or eat in secret? 
• Do you often feel fat? 
• Do you feel guilty or depressed after eating? 
• Do you ever make yourself vomit (throw up) after eating? 
• Do you use your insulin in ways not prescribed to manage your weight? 
• Do you take any medication or supplement to compensate for eating or to give yourself permission to eat? 
• Do you exercise for the sole purpose of weight control? 
• Have people expressed concern about your relationship with food or your body? 

If you answered “yes” to two or more of these questions, we recommend seeking help from eating disorder professionals. Specialists like those at The Emily Program can evaluate your symptoms and address your concerns. 

Eating Disorders Do Not Discriminate

There is a misperception in our culture that young, thin, white women are the only people affected by eating disorders, but this is not true. It doesn’t help that research has historically focused on clients who fit this profile, in part because white women were (and still are) the most likely to receive care. Eating disorders can and do affect individuals of all ages, races, genders, sexual orientations, body sizes, classes, and abilities. 

According to the International Journal of Eating Disorders, despite similar rates of eating disorders among non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanics, African-Americans, and Asians in the United States, people of color are significantly less likely to receive help for their eating issues. It isn’t that people of color aren’t experiencing eating disorders at the same rate as white individuals, they are simply less likely to receive treatment because of factors that are out of their control. It is a similar situation with other marginalized groups, and of course, these groups often overlap. Weight stigma, ageism, classism, homophobia, transphobia, and more can also cause people not to seek out help from professionals for fear that they do not look like a “typical” eating disorder patient.

You Deserve Help

Eating disorders affect everyone differently. Just because what you’re experiencing isn’t exactly what you see depicted in the media does not mean that you do not have an eating disorder. Eating disorders should be taken seriously. It is easy to become overwhelmed when you don’t know what is going on, but you are not alone. Eating disorder specialists are available to help you determine the course of action that’s right for you. 

If you or someone you love is struggling with food, schedule an eating disorder assessment with The Emily Program today. You can contact us at 1-888-364-5977 or fill out our contact form.