In recent years, there have been more and more people with eating disorders. One of the reasons is the influence of society and the emergence of new standards of beauty. This led to excessive anxiety and concern of citizens with their body and weight, especially among the females.

An eating disorder can affect a person of any age, gender, race, but most often, people who are emotionally unstable and have any personality problems change their diet and related habits. What are some of the signs that you have an eating disorder?

Signs Of Having An Eating Disorder

If a person has an unhealthy relationship with foods, for example, he eats more than usual people or restricts himself from eating anything at all; it is a sign of an eating disorder. Other common signs include weight loss, weight gain, irregular periods, gut problems, and abusing drugs.

However, these signs may differ from person to person. Do you have an eating disorder? Here are some other signs, the occurrence of which ensures having an eating disorder.

1. You Are Unhappy With Your Body

It’s not even about being overweight. A person with an eating disorder will always find something to complain about. An individual may not like excessively steep hips or small breasts. At the same time, it is clear to everyone around that the individual’s dissatisfaction with the parameters and characteristics of the body are exaggerated.

According to statistics, approximately every third woman in America would like to change something in her appearance. Self-confidence is undermined by the prevailing stereotypes about beauty.

In the course of some studies, it was found that those women who did not receive love and affection from their parents suffered from a violation of the emotional connection with them, have problems with eating behavior.

2. You Abuse Drugs And Other Stimulants

Eating disorder is more common than many people think. Those who suffer from such a disorder usually also have an addiction to alcohol or other substances. Experts believe eating disorders and drug abuse go hand in hand. However, when substance abuse and eating disorder coincides, danger increases.

According to research, people having eating disorders sometimes also abuse or overdose on the prescribed drugs to feel satisfied. They want to take their mind off eating, so without thinking, they abuse drugs available to them. Thus, it is important for them to get treatment to deal with such co-occurring health problems.

3. You Are On Strict Diets

An irrational and unbalanced diet, which is not able to provide the body with all the nutrients it needs, causes significant damage to human health. But this is precisely the diet of patients with anorexia nervosa. They deliberately reduce their weight by refusing food for a long time, practicing fasting, and exhausting themselves with various strict diets.

If you plan to limit yourself to only a narrow range of products in the near future, you need to weigh the pros and cons and then decide carefully. Following strict diets can do more harm than good to your body.

Silent Signs You Could Have an Eating Disorder | The Healthy

4. You Have A Habit Of Seizing Stress

Those who have eating disorders inadequately respond to stress and begin to seize their problems. The predisposing factor may be the loss of a loved one or some other accident, and in the future, such a reaction turns into a habit.

Any problems at work quarrels with children, and other emotional outbursts lead to overeating and excess weight. If you consider yourself one of such people, try to figure out on your own why this is happening. And if you cannot help yourself on your own, contact a specialist.

5. You Induce Vomiting And Take Laxatives

Those who have bulimia (type of eating disorder) uncontrollably eat large quantities, even at night, and then scold themselves for it. Later, they do everything to cleanse the gastrointestinal tract. For example, they induce vomiting and abuse laxatives. In addition, periods of overeating can be followed by days of strict dieting or strenuous exercise.

Frequent vomiting is not healthy for your body. But even if the matter is limited only to the use of diuretics or laxatives, you must remember that they can lead to serious health problems such as dehydration, intestinal atony, etc.

6. You Are Prone To Perfectionism

According to psychologists, a characteristic feature of patients with eating disorders is perfectionism. Such people strive to do everything perfectly; they make increased demands on both themselves and those around them.

Raising the bar all the time and not giving the opportunity to relax oneself can really be stressful. Thus, you need to work a lot on yourself, and a competent psychotherapist will help you with this.

7. You Criticize Others

Those who adhere to a diet, restricting themselves to certain foods, often feel some kind of superiority over other people and consider it their duty to point out their shortcomings. Even if your own food seems ideal, and someone else’s – far from the standard, this is not a reason to discuss the habits of other people.

Perhaps the excess weight of another person is not at all due to his love for fast food but is a consequence of hormonal disruption in the body. A person who criticizes others also becomes an object for criticism, which negatively affects his socialization.

Summing Up

There are many other types of eating disorders, but it is now clear that eating disorders are violations of power and significantly impair quality of life. It is clear that such eating habits create many obstacles in everyday life, limiting communication and social contacts of a person, leaving an imprint on his lifestyle.

Eating disorder is always a complex problem based on both physiological and psychological factors. Therefore it must be solved with the help of two or more specialists at once – a nutritionist, a psychologist, etc.