A Short List of Salient Warning Signs for Eating Disorders

Please Note: The below information is intended for informational and educational purposes and is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice.

• Preoccupations with weight, food, calories and dieting to the extent that it consistently intrudes on conversations and interferes with activates
• Excessive, rigid, exercise regime – despite weather, fatigue, illness or injury
• Withdrawal from, or avoidance of, numerous activities because of weight and shape concerns
• Expressions of anxiety about being “fat”
• Evidence of self-induced (often secretive) vomiting such as rushing to the bathroom immediately after a meal, bathroom messes and swelling of the submandibular glands to yield “chipmunk” facial appearance
• Evidence of use of laxatives, diuretics, purgatives, enemas or emetics
• Evidence of binge-eating, including hoarding and/or stealing food, or consumption of huge amounts of food inconsistent with the persons’ weight
• Alternating periods of severely restrictive dieting and overeating; these phasic fluctuations may be accompanied by dramatic weight fluctuations
• Inexplicable problems with menstruation and/or fertility
• Extreme concern about appearance as defining feature of self-esteem, often accompanied by dichotomous, perfectionist thinking
• Paleness and complaints of lightheadedness or disequilibrium not accounted for by other medical problems