5 Symptoms to Help Detect an Eating Disorder

There are multiple eating disorders out there, all with differing symptoms. Some are rather more prominent than others- drastic weight loss or weight gain, not eating at all, and feeling the uncontrollable urge to vomit after you’ve eaten. Though these symptoms are easy to spot, eating disorders also have subtle symptoms that can help us spot an issue before it progresses greatly.

Shutterstock | Even the bare minimum is deemed a lot by such people

Following are the few symptoms that can help you trace or diagnose yourself or a loved one suffering from an eating disorder.

1. Negative Body Image

Do you or someone you know talk negatively about they your body looks? You find yourself standing in the mirror and saying that you do not like the way you look, and you keep thinking about what other people say even if it wasn’t directed at you. This is your mind showing you signs of body insecurity, it can also lead you to compare yourself with someone else’s.

Shutterstock | Your confidence shouldn’t be tied to your weight

2. Going All Out On the Treadmill

Exercise is good and every person should take out time to exercise but for people who suffer from eating disorders, exercise is a life and death matter for them. The fear of gaining weight forces them to overwork themselves and they find themselves spending hours in the gym and eating less.

3. Can’t Eat in Public

Many people hang out with their friends or family over lunch or dinner. They eat together and spend a good time laughing and talking to each other but people suffering from an eating disorder do not observe the same kind of comfort. They feel as if they are being judged which results in them becoming more and more self-conscious and conscious about what is on their plate.

4. Lanugo

Lanugo is fine body hair that usually appears on people who have unhealthy diets and haven’t been eating right for long periods of time. This fine body hair shows up on the arms, face, and legs. According to doctors, it happens because your body needs to keep itself warm so it develops a thin layer of fine hair.

Shutterstock | It is most commonly seen on babies

5۔ Dried up Skin

Many people tend to overlook these symptoms as many circumstances can lead to dry skin but for people who have eating disorders, it is a clear symptom as the patient has been resorting to the use of laxatives which dehydrate the body and leading to the skin becoming drier. Bulimia can be detected if the patients have developed calluses on the knuckles because of the continuous scratching of the hand against the teeth to induce vomiting.