Eating Disorder Symptoms and Diagnosis
By Matthew Tiemeyer, About.com Guide to Eating Disorders
Detecting and diagnosing an eating disorder isn't always as cut and dry as you might imagine. Though every eating disorder has some unique characteristics, some have overlapping symptoms, too. Diagnosing them requires care.
- Eating Disorder Symptoms
- Formal Diagnosis Criteria
- Inside the Mind: The Psychology of Eating Disorders
Eating Disorder Symptoms
Eating disorders are about more than someone making abnormal choices regarding what to eat (or not to eat). Symptoms include many physical and emotional problems, in addition to behavioral concerns. Physical symptoms may be the most striking to others, but they may only become obvious after an eating disorder has had time to progress.
- Overview of Anorexia Symptoms
- Overview of Bulimia Symptoms
- Physical Symptoms of Bulimia
- Overview of Binge-Eating Disorder Symptoms
Formal Diagnosis Criteria
Eating disorders must be diagnosed by trained professionals who use a set of criteria from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders to assess a patient. Only anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa have fully-specified diagnostic criteria. Other eating disorders, like binge-eating disorder, have criteria that are still under investigation.
Inside the Mind: The Psychology of Eating Disorders
Many with eating disorders are misunderstood because it's difficult to know how they think. Seen through their eyes, disordered eating makes perfect sense. Knowing the psychology of eating disorders can give you insight into the world of a loved one; it can also convince a person who has an eating disorder that she (or he) is not alone.
