Eating Disorders are a group of serious diseases related to food intake, whose origin is given by many factors. They are serious mental health disorders that pose a significant risk to the life of the person who suffers from them. In addition, they affect in many cases the environment that surrounds this person.
It is very necessary to carry out a good prevention in the young population and diagnose incipient cases as soon as possible. There are some alert or alarm signs that can indicate that we are facing an Eating Disorder.
Starting a diet without justification is one of the main alerts for Eating Disorders
These signs are common behaviors in these diseases, although they are not diagnostic criteria by themselves. That is why they cannot be used to confirm the presence of the disease. Despite this, it is recommended that, before these signs, you consult a professional to be able to assess the scope and make the appropriate diagnosis.
Some of the warning signs related to the food part that we can observe from home are the following:
- Starting a weight loss diet without any justification and without supervision by a specialist.
- Show constant concern about food and need to know what to eat and have for dinner during the day.
- Starting to want to cook all the family food or your own food, refusing to eat food you haven’t prepared.
- Drink plenty of water before meals to feel full.
- Cut food into very small pieces and spread food around the plate a lot.
- Finding food scraps or wrappers in unusual places.
- Observe that you read labels carefully to count the calories of everything you eat.
- Put up a lot of resistance and even refuse to eat the usual amounts, gradually decreasing them.
- Try not to coincide with family or friends during meals.
- Go to the bathroom immediately after meals.
They occur mainly in adolescents
If we see some of these warning signs of an Eating Disorder, especially in adolescents, the primary objective is for that person to receive professional help. Although it is true that it is a very difficult step to take, since the first thing you must do is accept it.