An eating disorder is a very secretive, shameful illness and the person suffering will often go to great lengths to keep their obsession hidden to bystanders. Often family members living under the same roof go years without knowing all the behaviors the person struggles with, and if they do ever catch this person acting out on these behaviors and interrupt them, the person can become extremely angry and even violent. One suffering is very possessive of their illness and can act out if they feel threatened with it being taken away from them. This attitude can change through treatment, after the individual begins working on and sorting through the underlying causes to their disorder, and begins desiring help and recovery.
If you see any of the following signs continuously in your child, your sibling, your friend...get professional help immediately. Apply the motto, "better safe than sorry," instead of second guessing, because it is better to get help prematurely then to wait around for disaster to strike. This is not a lifestyle of vanity, it is not a phase based on jealousy, or a diet with attainable goals. It is a never-ending race to an ever elusive finish line, a tumble down a bottomless rabbit hole, for the only true rock bottom for an eating disorder is death.
- Intense fear of weight gain
- Feeling of loss of control around food or while eating
- Negative or distorted self-image
- Refusal to eat, especially in public
- Frequent trips to the bathroom during or immediately after meals
- Preoccupation with food or calories
- Excessive exercise
- Thin, pale appearance
- Lack of emotion
- Withdrawal from friends and social events
- Obsession with Hollywood and thin models or actresses
- Dizziness, fainting
- Drop in body temperature, always feeling cold
- Dehydration
- Constipation
- Loss of menstruation
- Low blood pressure
- Heart palpatations, irregular heart rhythm
- Soft, downy hair appearing all over body (called lanugo)
- Overuse of diet pills, diurectics, laxatives
- Self-induced vomiting
- Making excuses for not eating
- Rigid eating rituals, such as cutting food into tiny pieces or eating finger food only with a fork
- Hair loss or unhealthy hair
- Difficulty with memory
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Comments
What a important article you've written, Jana. I really believe that we need to be on the lookout for these issues in our children and teens to nip the problem in the bud as quickly as possible. Having been an eating disorder specialist for over 25 years, I can honestly say that the sooner treatment is started the better.
To add to your information, I've just written a The SlenderTrap: A food and body workbook that helps one to clarify whether or not you have a problem and what to do about it. It uses art and writing exercises in the journey to wellness. Heidi Dalzell wrote an article on this site on January 13, 2011. Book is available on amazon.com, lulu.com, bulimia.com.
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