How to recognize an eating disorder

Posted on: Tuesday, February 8th, 2011 by Marianne Clyde

Rachel was a model teenager. Middle child of a large family, she always cooked the big Sunday dinner, the family event of the week. They all loved the sherry gravy. They all loved Rachel.

She worked at the rectory, cooking for the priests, helped her dad assemble widgets for his work, oversaw the grocery list so that there was always plenty of her friend’s favorite snacks when they came over. She was so efficient in the kitchen that she even oversaw her parents’ parties, where the whiskey sours were flowing freely. Everybody kind of left her alone to do her thing because she was so good at it.

Nobody noticed that Rachel never ate what she cooked. She was always catering to others: the priests, the family, her friends, her parent’s guests. Nobody seemed to see her take a swig or two of the sherry. The whiskey sours were flowing so freely, no one really noticed that more was missing than there should have been.

Rachel’s teachers loved her because she never caused a problem and was so reliable. Rachel was so responsible, who would have thought she had a problem?

Everyone laughed when she was in her bikini with her tiny body and she put her hand on her little tummy exclaiming how fat she was. It was so ludicrous that no one took her seriously; until it was too obvious to ignore.

She was getting too thin. She was drinking too much. How did this happen?

Rachel was actually deathly afraid of getting fat. Her almost exclusive consumption was of alcohol. That seemed to be her only intake of calories.

When dad noticed that Rachel was too thin, he offered to buy her a whole new wardrobe if she gained weight. Daddies fix things. But he could not fix Rachel . . . and it broke his heart. She was past the point of being able to “just stop it.” Staying thin and starving herself had become an addiction.

It was time to get help. If her family had only been able to recognize the signs of anorexia, they could have sought help sooner. By the time people started to say, “You look anorexic!” she was pretty far into the addiction. Not only did that phrase not help motivate her to gain weight, she took it as a compliment. She was “too fat” before that.

The earlier you can recognize the symptoms of an eating disorder, the better. Typically, people with eating disorders have body images that are so skewed that they can’t see that a problem exists.

But eating disorders can be deadly. Potentially 20% of people who suffer from eating disorders will eventually die from them.

Fortunately for Rachel, she got help. Now she is married and has two lovely children. Her life has been restored. It could have been so much easier if the signs had been caught earlier.

While the largest population that suffers from eating disorders is by far females in their teens and early 20’s, there are also men, older women and children that are diagnosed as well.

Eating disorders come from a complex mixture of physical issues as well as deep psychological, emotional and social issues.

Early Signs of Eating Disorders * Compulsive dieting behaviors * Preoccupation with weight and body image * Unusual food behaviors….cutting into teeny pieces, moving around on plate, hiding it in napkin * Making excuses to not eat: to full, already ate * Vicarious enjoyment of food by cooking, entertaining, serving it * Self induced vomiting (pay attention to going into the bathroom during or immediately after a meal) * Use of diet pills * Laxative use * Extreme or obsessive exercise * Abuse of syrup of ipecac * Fasting * Use of diureticsWeight is not always a good indicator of an eating disorder. Many with eating disorders are abusing their bodies in a life-threatening way, and are overweight. The important thing is that if you feel like something is wrong and you can’t put your finger on it, seek help.

Even if the person in question won’t accept that she needs therapy, she may agree to see amedical doctor for a checkup. Either place is a good place to start.

Sometimes it helps to have a team of helpers, (doctor, therapist, nutritionist, family, supportgroup). These are all necessary components to the healing process.

Even though eating disorders seem to revolve around food, food is not really the issue. It is the field on which this potentially life threatening drama plays out. A doctor can monitor one’s physical health, a nutritionist can support a healthy eating plan, but a therapist helps her uncover the hidden beliefs that keep one stuck in this spiral of self destruction.

When the core beliefs underlying an eating disorder are changed, then people start to heal from the inside out. It helps immensely to have a supportive group of friends and family through the long road to healing. Residential eating disorder treatment programs are available as well.

If you live in or near Warrenton, Virginia and are in need of a trained and empathetic eating disorder therapist, call me today:Marianne Clyde, (540) 347-3797.Or visit: www.marianneclyde.com for more information.

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Articles by Marianne Clyde

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