To know if someone has an eating disorder, it is important to look for a range of physical, behavioral, and emotional signs: Physical signs include dramatic weight changes without clear explanation, dizziness or fainting, digestive problems, hair loss, feeling cold often, fatigue, and menstrual irregularities in females. Behavioral signs include secretive eating, hiding or hoarding food, following rigid food rules, social withdrawal from meals, excessive exercise especially after eating, body-checking behaviors like frequent weighing, and purging behaviors such as vomiting or using laxatives. Emotional signs include obsessive thoughts about food, weight, or body image, intense fear of gaining weight, mood changes around food, low self-esteem tied to appearance, anxiety or distress related to eating, and perfectionism. If these signs are present and affecting daily life, it is important to seek professional assessment and support because eating disorders are serious mental health conditions that benefit from expert care.
There are also online assessment quizzes that can help identify symptoms, but professional diagnosis is necessary for confirmation and treatment planning.
