Warning Signs

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This information provided as reference material only. This site should not be relied upon as a comprehensive guide for treating eating disorders.

For more information on how to prevent an eating disorder, please attend our ParentTalk workshops.

Eating Disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder include extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding weight and food issues. They are serious emotional and physical problems that can have life-threatening consequences for girls, boys, men and women of all races and cultures.

Anorexia Nervosa

Characterized by self-starvation and excessive weight loss.

Symptoms may include:

• Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for height, body type, age, and activity level
• Intense fear of weight gain or being “fat”
• Feeling “fat” or overweight despite dramatic weight loss
• Loss of menstrual periods (in girls and women)
• Extreme concern with body weight and shape
• Fixation on food, calories, fat grams, and diets
• Excessive exercise regime

Bulimia Nervosa

Characterized by a recurrent cycle of binge eating followed by purging. Bulimia includes eating large amounts of food (more than most people would eat in one meal) in short periods of time, then getting rid of the food and calories through vomiting, laxative abuse, or over-exercising.

Symptoms may include:

• Repeated episodes of bingeing and purging
• Feeling out of control during a binge and eating beyond the point of comfortable fullness
• Purging after a binge, (typically by self-induced vomiting, abuse of laxatives, diet pills and/or diuretics, excessive exercise, or fasting)
• Frequent dieting
• Extreme concern with body weight and shape

Binge Eating

Characterized by a recurrent cycle of binge eating without regular purging.

Symptoms may include:

• Repeated episodes of bingeing
• Feeling out of control during a binge and eating beyond the point of comfortable fullness
• Feeling ashamed of eating
• Eating in secret and when not hungry

Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified

There are various other eating disorders including Orthorexia (fixation on eating only healthy food), and Muscle Dysmorphic Disorder (fixation on being too small/undeveloped).

Other Resources:
Web MD Entry on Eating Disorders | Anorexia | Bulimia | Binge Eating Disorder