How to Recognize the Signs and Symptoms of Eating Disorders
Written by ‘Ai Pono Hawaii Staff Writer
Eating disorders are complex conditions. They are an example of a maladaptive coping behavior that affects people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds. Without appropriate intervention, eating disorders can cause a variety of severe physical, emotional, and psychological consequences. Fortunately, with a specialized treatment plan, people can recover from their eating disorder and go on to lead healthy, happy, and fulfilling lives.
Eating disorders are a highly stigmatized illness, even with an estimated 20 million women and 10 million men in America suffering from an eating disorder at one point in their life. Thus, it is crucial to understand the signs and symptoms of eating disorders and approach them with empathy – whether it’s for oneself or for a loved one.
Signs and Symptoms to Watch Out for
According to the Mayo Clinic, National Institute of Mental Health, and National Eating Disorders Association, here are some things to watch out for if you suspect that someone you love (or yourself) could be suffering from any one of the various types of eating disorders:
Dietary or Eating Pattern Changes
This may include binge eating or purging. You may have also noticed the use of laxatives or diuretics, or perhaps frequent vomiting. Some affected individuals may chew and spit out their food instead of swallowing it. They could also be severely restricting particular foods or food groups – this includes eating only one type of food or being aggressively inflexible and obsessive about counting their calories. Or they could be fasting, skipping meals, eating alone, or eating in secret more frequently.
Distorted Body Image or Obsession with Weight
Does this person view their body in an exaggerated way? Perhaps they see themselves as too thin or too big or are frequently preoccupied with checking themselves in the mirror, weighing themselves, or measuring specific body parts. They may also continuously talk about adjusting or altering their appearance.
Emotional Changes
Because of the erratic and extreme eating and energy patterns, you may have noticed irritability, social withdrawal, mood swings, anxiety, or depression in the affected individual. Be attentive for unusual or out-of-character actions, including feelings of guilt or shame after eating or restricting food.
Physical Changes
A person with an eating disorder may experience weight loss or gain, fatigue, dizziness, fainting, dehydration, digestive issues, swollen salivary glands, fluctuating blood pressure, high cholesterol, hair loss, dull skin, low body temperature, and more. They could also be engaged in excessive exercise or compulsive movement. You may also notice tooth decay, erosion, or staining from stomach acid.
If a combination of these signs and symptoms sound familiar, the next step would be to get a proper diagnosis. Remember to approach the individual with kindness, compassion, and understanding. Suffering from an eating disorder can be an isolating experience, with direct influence on one’s self-esteem. Anger, judgment, or blame can aggravate the individual even more, and cause them to hide their condition or retreat. It is best to offer support and encouragement instead.
The Next Step: Opening Up
As a friend, it can be difficult to approach someone about their eating habits and concerns about an eating disorder. It must be handled delicately and tactfully. It’s important to have a conversation with them in a supportive and open-minded manner. Here are some tips on how to talk to a friend about possible eating disorders:
➤ Choose an Appropriate Setting
It is best to choose a time and place that is familiar, comfortable, private, quiet, and safe for your friend. Do not broach the subject in public or with an audience. Schedule the conversation and make sure no one is in a rush. Make time for a meaningful and heartfelt conversation without any distractions.
➤ Reassure and Express Care and Concern
Let your friend know that you are concerned and that you care for their health and wellbeing. Reassure them by expressing your support. Gently bring up that you’ve noticed changes in their behavior, and mention that you are worried about them. Avoid ‘You’ statements which, to someone feeling vulnerable, can sound like blame. Instead, try starting with your own feelings of concern (“I feel a little alarmed about your health”). You can be honest, but remember to temper directness with kindness, empathy, and sensitivity.
➤ Don’t Blame, Shame, or Criticize
The nature of this conversation may put your friend on the defensive. It is all the more important to avoid judgment, criticism, or blame. Let them know how you plan to help and support them. Focus on their health and wellbeing. Avoid giving medical advice without proper consultation from a licensed medical professional. This is a particularly vulnerable point in your friend’s life, and they do not need negative or derogatory comments on their behavior and body.
➤ Listen with an Open Heart & Mind
Once your friend is comfortable enough to voice their concerns and talk about their condition, do not interrupt. Keep an open heart and mind and listen without judging. Let them feel heard. Validate their experiences and feelings and offer your support. It is crucial that they do not feel alone or isolated.
➤ Connect Them to Resources & Professional Support
After listening to your friend, offer support and medical resources that can help them with their concerns. Encourage them to seek professional help from a healthcare provider or therapist who specializes in eating disorders. You can also provide them with resources such as support groups, hotlines, or online forums where they can connect with others who are going through similar experiences. You can even suggest programs that you feel your friend can benefit from.
➤ Follow Up and Check In
After the conversation, follow up with your friend and check in on their progress. Let them know that you are there for them and that you care about their wellbeing. Continue to offer support and encourage them to seek professional help if needed.
➤ Be Patient
Recovering from an eating disorder is a complicated, long-term process. There is no straightforward path, and there may be setbacks and relapses. Your friend will need a supportive presence throughout treatment so remember to maintain a sensitive, empathetic approach. Eating disorders are usually rooted in deeply personal issues which are not always resolved quickly and easily. There’s no need to pressure your friend at any point of their journey.
Talking to a friend about possible eating disorders can be challenging, but it is important to approach the conversation in a supportive and non-judgmental way. By expressing concern and care, avoiding blaming or criticizing, listening without judging, offering support and resources, following up, checking-in, and being patient, you can help your friend get the help they need to recover and lead a healthy, fulfilling life.
If possible, connect the individual to a trusted healthcare professional at the earliest opportunity in order to begin the journey into recovery. There are therapists or healthcare workers who specialize in treating eating disorders. These experts will need to examine and evaluate the individual’s case to determine the type and severity of the eating disorder.
Any related conditions like depression or anxiety may also be identified. A trained professional will know how to tailor a treatment plan to the individual’s specific lifestyle, needs, and history. They can also recommend a good blend of medication, counseling, and nutritional guidance to the affected individual.
Available Treatment Options
According to Eating Disorder Hope, here are a few potential therapy methods that a healthcare professional may recommend for an individual suffering from an eating disorder:
➤ Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT
This therapy can help reframe negative thought patterns. It aims to change the affected individual’s behaviors around food, weight, and body image. It’s a talking therapy that can help identify how each eating disorder symptom fits, and how they can be targeted individually and together.
➤ Interpersonal Therapy or IPT
This type of therapy focuses on improving interpersonal relationships and communication skills. It helps address relationships or circumstances that are directly affecting the individual. It can also help the patient interact in school, the workplace, or in society in general, more effectively.
➤ Dialectical Behavior Therapy or DBT
This type of therapy combines elements of CBT and mindfulness techniques to help individuals regulate their emotions and behaviors, striking a delicate balance between change and acceptance. DBT’s goal is for the individual to understand and accept difficult feelings while regulating destructive behaviors and feeling safe.
➤ Family-based Therapy or FBT
The family unit is crucial for this type of therapy. Their support, communication, and understanding are integral to this treatment plan. In it, the family learns how to properly handle or approach sensitive situations.
These therapy methods may be combined or used individually, depending on the patient’s condition and preferences, but each modality acts as a complement to the other. Each professional has their own method. Therapy will not only alter the individual’s thinking, but it can help identify any underlying conditions or causes of their disorder – which could be anxiety, depression, low self-esteem or self-worth, traumatic experiences, stress, and more. A skilled therapist can also recommend appropriate coping skills and strategies that can aid the individual in handling any food or body image-related issues.
Nutritional counseling is also essential to the recovery journey. The individual must not only change their thought patterns but their relationship to food. This means developing healthy eating habits, and recognizing, acknowledging, and addressing nutritional needs with meal plans and food shopping guides. A registered dietitian may also teach the individual to listen to the body’s hunger and fullness cues, as well as any complementary coping methods conducive to their healing.
In some cases, medication may also be necessary to mitigate any symptoms of eating disorders. Those with co-existing conditions may find relief through anti-anxiety or antidepressant medications. Medicines may also help ease nausea, whet the appetite, or supplement nutrition.
In addition to seeking professional help, here are several steps suggested by the National Alliance for Eating Disorders that affected individuals and their loved ones can take to support recovery:
➤ Building a Strong Support System
An affected individual will need a strong, supportive network to call on all throughout the recovery process – a strong inner circle willing to put in the work and weather any storms alongside them. Family, friends, and healthcare professionals may be called on in times of distress or relapse, and it is important to have trusted people surrounding the affected individual as they weather these challenges. There are also online support groups or forums that can give perspective or lend a listening ear.
➤ Establishing Self-Care Routines
Meditation or prayer, journaling, deep breathing techniques, and other mindfulness practices can be relaxing and stress-relieving self-care practices that may help manage stress and boost self-esteem. These activities have recorded benefits to mental health as well. Practicing them regularly and making self-care part of their routine can help affected individuals’ mental and overall health immensely.
➤ Challenging Negative Thoughts
Individuals with eating disorders often have negative thoughts about themselves and their body. It is imperative that they learn to challenge these thoughts and replace them with positive affirmations that can improve self-esteem and body image. Friends and family members can help by not giving any appearance-related comments – even if they believe they’re compliments.
➤ Developing Healthy Coping Strategies
Learning healthy ways to cope with stress and emotions can help individuals avoid relapse and maintain their recovery. This includes learning to identify triggers and difficult environments or emotions, and being ready to deal with them when they strike.
➤ Setting Boundaries
It might help affected individuals to define clear limits with people who may (unknowingly or not) hinder their recovery process. Whether physical or emotional, boundaries are necessary as they continue to heal.
➤ Consuming and Creating Social Media Mindfully
The affected individual should be exposed to more diverse images to help them shift their perspective of themselves and of society. Friends or family members can also suggest uplifting, realistic, body positive content. Setting social media boundaries may also be helpful – start by deleting or unfollowing triggering content, including unrealistic or heavily edited images, diet culture content, weight loss or weight gain topics, and more.
➤ Reconnecting with Hobbies, Passions, and Goals
Rediscovering recreational activities, or perhaps actively working towards personal (and not body or appearance-related) goals can remind the individual that there’s a world of possibility outside of their condition. Loved ones can also invite them to try new activities and find what piques their interest and passion. Affected individuals may be more socially withdrawn, so it’s crucial that loved ones make extra effort to invite them out regularly, even if they receive rejections at first.
➤ Research & Education
It could also be helpful for individuals to learn more about their own condition. Medical and scientific journals and other research are accessible online. They can also join community events or attend seminars, conferences, or webinars related to eating disorders. Friends and family members can help guide them to the right resources, or perhaps accompany them to events.
In conclusion, recognizing eating disorders and offering support and resources for help is crucial in the recovery process. By approaching the situation with empathy and understanding, and connecting them to the right medical professionals, individuals can get the help they need to embark on a recovery journey and happy, healthy, and fulfilling lives.
Receive Holistic Treatment for Your Eating Disorder
Located in Wailuku, Maui, Ai Pono Hawaii eating disorder recovery center has more than 35 years of success in providing holistic and effective treatment for a variety of eating disorders. ‘Ai’ means to eat or nourish, and ‘Pono’ means with ease, naturally, in perfect order and wholeness. At Ai Pono, we aim to help patients restore balance by physically and emotionally preparing them to nourish themselves. Dealing with eating disorders is a lifelong journey, and thus, we help our patients develop life skills that resolve and correct any maladaptive behavior.
We have extensive experience in helping patients with all types of backgrounds, believing that each one is a sensitive being capable of overcoming their disorder. Rest assured, each treatment plan is tailor-fit to the patient’s background and needs.
Experience our Residential Program set in our home base of Maui and enjoy the nurturing, relaxing surroundings as you delve deep into your own psyche, supported by a team of trained professionals ready to help you understand your disorder better. Heal and enjoy a temporary reprieve from everyday rigors in our women-only oasis.
Those who wish to receive treatment at home can take advantage of our Virtual Intensive Outpatient Program, which is open to all genders. Trained professionals will guide you as you balance your healing journey with your daily routine.
Whichever program you choose, our shared goal will be to help you accept, identify, and address the root of your symptoms, rather than simply offering relief from them.
Every person deserves genuine connection and a healthy relationship with their own body. We believe that every person who’s struggling from an eating disorder is capable of successfully overcoming it through the help of experts in treating eating disorders.