1. Recognize the Leading Indicators
You suspect a close friend or loved one has an eating disorder. She looks like she is losing weight at an alarming rate and eats microscopic portions at meals, yet she complains she couldn't take another bite. She constantly, wails, "I'm obese," but she resembles a Crystal Meth addict.
If your loved one displays the following symptoms, she could be suffering from anorexia:
* She has lost a substantial amount of weight, or refuses to maintain a normal body weight.
* She has an intense, irrational fear of gaining weight.
* She thinks she is overweight, even though she is underweight.
* She has have stopped menstruating for over a 3 month period.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-IV, the bible for mental health clinicians, an anorexia diagnosis is determined if the patient's body weight is less than 85% of the normal weight for their height and age. The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company publishes standard weight guidelines, which are used to evaluate weight norms.
2. Target Behaviors
Limiting food choices is common behavior for anorexics, who tend to avoid what they perceive as high-calorie foods. Instead, they restrict their diet to a few food choices, usually foods with limited calories like vegetables or fruit. Loss of hunger is common as well.
In addition to restricted caloric intake, excessive exercise to burn off calories is typical. Take note if a friend is spending hours at the gym or working out inordinately, even though he doesn't need to shed any excess pounds; this might be an indicator, too.
Constant weighing and measuring to gauge weight gain or loss is standard behavior. Losing weight is a psychological high or triumph for a person suffering from anorexia and can affect mood. If an anorexic gains an ounce, he will feel like a failure, depressed that he was unable to control his food intake. Depression and anxiety are common co-occurring disorders that manifest in a person with an eating disorder.
3. Underlying Emotions
Anorexics are consumed with thinking about food while ignoring their underlying emotions. Instead of focusing on why they feel anxious or sad, they become preoccupied with controlling their weight. Studies suggest that some people suffering from anorexia have experienced some sort of a trauma and therefore feel out of control. By controlling their food, they are exerting their power over a situation.
Denial or lack of insight into the problem is very common. Usually a parent becomes alarmed when their teen appears to look dangerously underweight, even for American cultural norms. Confronting a person struggling with anorexia can be challenging, but persistence is crucial.
Get ready for an argument, with lots of tears, door slamming and angry denials of, "I'm fine, I'm not too thin. Leave me alone!" Often, parents are confused and not sure who they should turn to discuss their suspicions. A good place to start is a child's pediatrician.
