Diagnosis of an Eating Disorder

When a person experiences an abnormal eating pattern, an eating disorder may be suspected by their family and friends.

There are a number of things to look out for if you suspect someone has an eating disorder.

They include the following:

• If the body weight is much less than the ideal weight of the person according to their height and weight.
• Looking at the patient's history, life pattern, behavior pattern, and taking note of any physical symptoms that have occurred due to their eating pattern.
• A bulimic can be diagnosed by noting the quantity of their food intake and the duration between one meal and the next. (They are often close together and the person consumes a large volume of food.
• Is that person prone to frequent vomiting and do they seem to rely on laxatives.
• Have they in recent times engaged in dieting/ fasting or a very grueling exercise pattern?
• Do they persistently worry about their weight, shape and looks?
• Do they appear depressed, do they have low self-confidence, self esteem,
• Do they appear uncertain or scared about life in general
• Do they appear to posses an obsessive compulsive disorder and feelings of loneliness,
• Have they lost their immediate social group,
• Do they have an inability to concentrate and perform well
• Do they experience mood swings
• Do they have an inability to think and make good judgments?
• Have they developed a high inferiority complex?
• Do they have disorders in the teeth such as erosion of the enamel, dental caries, glossitis and cracks in the lips.
• Hyperacidity in the stomach and esophagus, continuous blood vomiting, constipation, difficulty in gastric emptying, irregular and total absence of menstrual cycle are problems that affect those with an eating disorder
• They may also be easily affected by the cold.
• Severe headaches and anemia are another problem.
• Testing on their blood counts often show electrolyte imbalances in their potassium, calcium, sodium and magnesium levels. This is because the absorption in the body is reduced.
• Bone density test, electrocardiogram, liver, kidney, thyroid test and x-rays should be checked out as severe eating disorders affect major organs in a short period.

These are only some of the symptoms to be looked for when checking for an eating disorder. It is a good idea to check for others with your doctor or health care professional.

Another way to check for an eating disorder is to ask them the Scoff questionnaire.

If the person responds yes to the following then he/ she may be diagnosed with an eating disorder.

S Do you always feel full?

C Do you have control over your eating pattern?

O How much weight have you lost recently?

F Do you think you always looking fat?

F Do you always think about food?

Many people who suffer from an eating disorder go to great lengths to disguise it. It is important that the families of those who are more prone to developing an eating disorder are aware of the dangers involved.

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