Signs of Anorexia

Eating is such an integral part of our everyday lives that it is difficult not to notice when a loved one’s eating patterns change.  Many people try diets or attempt to add more healthy foods to their meals; however, anorexia nervosa – like most other eating disorders – is marked by obsessive control over one’s eating behaviors that lead to numerous negative consequences.  If something about your loved one’s eating habits have given you cause for concern, consult the symptoms below to see if your loved one has developed anorexia nervosa.  If these do not match your current situation, also consult our bulimia and binge eating disorders pages.  If many of the symptoms do match, it may be worthwhile to seek professional help as soon as possible; the mortality rate for individuals with anorexia is roughly 12 times higher than that for all other causes in the population of females age 15 to 24.

• The Individual’s Sex – Females develop anorexia at a higher rate than do males; however, many males also get anorexia in both straight and gay populations.
• Extreme Weight Loss – Because patients with anorexia will commonly starve themselves (or severely restrict their caloric intake on a level comparable to starvation), they often lose weight quite rapidly.  If the disorder has been present for some time, the person’s skeletal structure may be visible (e.g., prominence of ribs, collar bone, and other bones).
• An Occasional Tiny Meal ­– Anorexic patients will commonly skip meals; if they do eat, portion sizes will be extremely small.  The person will rigidly count calories or weigh food; or they may only allow themselves to eat a certain number of items: 3 crackers, etc.
• Loss of Period – When a woman’s body perceives that it is going through a period of famine, it shuts down hormones related to menstruation to prevent a child from being born into this stressful environment.  Women with anorexia will eventually lose their periods as weight loss increases.
• Rituals – Because many anorexic individuals are attempting to exert control over their lives and their disorder, they may become preoccupied with following certain rituals in the preparation (e.g., always buying from the same market, always using the same pan) or consumption (e.g., always chewing food 25 times prior to swallowing) of food.
• Exercise – Many people with anorexia will spend hours working out each day to try to burn as many calories as possible; they may also take advantage of any opportunity to turn an everyday behavior into exercise (like doing a squat to pick up a fallen item).
• Obsession with the Scale and Mirrors – Weighing oneself and looking for areas of “fat” in the mirror are common behaviors.
• Lanugo – Although lanugo – or light hair – can also be a symptom of a hormonal problem, in combination with other signs, it could indicate anorexia.  Appearing on the body or face, lanugo is the body’s way of keeping itself warm when the person’s fat has been depleted.
• Laxatives and Diuretics – These are frequently abused in an attempt to lose additional weight through urination or bowel movements.