Eating disorders can happen to anyone. It can be so deceptive that it’s possible you don’t notice it affecting your close family and friends already. There are, however, certain warning signs that can tip you off if someone close to you may be in danger of suffering from it.
Knowing the signs is just one part of the battle, though. What you do with the information you get is what’s going to be more crucial. You can refer to a rehab facility like Ocean Recovery (http://oceansrecovery.com/) for them to consider getting help from. If the situation is much more dire, you can also consider staging an intervention to help them get back on track to wellness.
Meanwhile, here are some of the signs of an eating disorder you should look out for. Do note, though, that you don’t necessarily need to wait for all signs to show before you take action. Eating disorders may manifest differently from person to person, so it may show in several different ways or just a few couple ones.
Behavioral Signs
The foremost telling signs of an eating disorder is one’s attitude towards food. You may notice a certain discomfort or awkwardness during meal times, or they may keep making excuses to skip out on it.
They may also refuse to eat certain types of foods on account of perceived negative effects on their body, specifically their weight. There is this seemingly obsessive need to hit and maintain a specific target weight, which is usually way below what is considered to be what is in the healthy range.
Keep in mind, too, that those suffering from eating disorders would go to great lengths to try and keep their condition a secret. Therefore, it’s possible that they will appear to eat like normal along with everyone else, but then proceed to purge as soon as they are left on their own.
Psychological Symptoms
This obsession to maintain a certain weight, unhealthy though it may be, may be rooted in this distorted view of their body. To their eyes, they are flawed and maybe even unworthy to be loved because they do not fit the perceived standards of beauty in society.
Because of this extreme dissatisfaction with their physical appearance, they may suffer from depression and anxiety. Mood swings become frequent and drastic too, which may result in isolation and withdrawal from friends. They may also lose interest in activities that are used to keep them interested and productive.
Physical Symptoms
Even with the most intense denial, it’s going to be virtually impossible for them to hide the physical symptoms of their eating disorder. There’s going to be a very obvious fluctuation in weight quite often. Because they are not getting the sufficient nutrition they need, it’s also likely that they would be very susceptible to fainting spells and dizziness.
They may also appear sluggish and weak, because they’re not getting enough sleep, and may complain a lot about feeling cold.
Eating disorders can also be spotted with a sudden onset of dental issues, such as teeth discoloration, enamel erosion, and dental sensitivity. For those who induce vomiting, their fingers joints may have cuts and calluses.
Other physical symptoms include dry hair and skin, brittle nails, mottled hands or swollen feet, and yellow skin.
