How do I know if I have a problem with eating disorders? How do I know if I need help?

Do any of these statements describe how you feel?

  • I think my diet is out of control.
  • I feel out of control when I eat.
  • I feel scared around food.
  • I am scared that if I eat normally I will gain weight.
  • I am scared that I am fat but no one is telling me.
  • I want to lose weight so people will like me more.
  • I throw up sometimes after I eat.
  • I throw up almost every time after I eat
  • I skip meals a lot or throw my lunch away.
  • I don't eat the foods I used to like because they're fattening.
  • I will not miss a day of exercise.
  • I am scared to miss a day of exercise.
  • I have lost more than 5 pounds this month.
  • I think about food so much that it is interfering with my life.
  • I spend my day thinking about where, when, and what I will eat.
  • I like to think about food all the time.  It is the best part of my life.
  • I think I need help but I'm scared.

If you agree with any of these statements, there is someone to help you:

A dietician can help you:

  • change negative eating habits or disordered eating patterns
  • improve general health through nutrition
  • follow a medical diet or a diet for a nutrition-related illness
  • improve athletic performance, strength, endurance, and body composition
  • when you suspect that someone has an eating disorder but is not ready to admit it

A mental health professional (psychologist, psychiatrist, or counselor) can help you with:

  • relationship or family problems
  • depression, anxiety, and other emotional difficulties
  • behaviors that are out of control, such as eating, violence, or substance abuse
  • handling stress
  • handling a traumatic event

Summary: Remember, an evaluation with a dietician or therapist is just one appointment.  If you don't feel comfortable with the first dietician or therapist that you meet with, there are many others.  Don't give up if you don't connect with the first one!

If you hesitate to call a dietician or mental health professional, consider bringing this checklist to your doctor, nurse, minister, rabbi, school counselor, or someone else you trust.

And....please call 911 if an individual is a danger to him or herself!

 

Information Source: understandingnutrition website.