DO YOU HAVE AN EATING DISORDER?
Eating disorders occur most commonly in teenage girls but are also seen in adult
women and some men.
If you or someone you know has any of the following symptoms, you should seek
professional consultation. Eating disorders can damage your health and lead to life
threatening medical conditions.
- Refusing to maintain body weight at a minimally normal weight for age
and height
- Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even and especially when underweight
- Unrealistic self-evaluation of body weight or shape. Too much emphasis on
weight or shape in self-evaluation
- In women, missing three consecutive menstrual cycles
- Severe restriction of food intake
- Excessive exercise without adequate food intake to support the level of activity
- Binge eating followed by efforts to prevent weight gain such as self-induced
vomiting, misuse of laxatives, diuretics or other medications, enemas,
fasting or excessive exercise
- Repeatedly chewing and spitting out, but not swallowing, large amounts of
food
- Any of the above symptoms are present even though the person has
normal body weight
If you notice the preceding symptoms in yourself or in a loved one, call your
Employee Assistance Program to speak with a professional counselor.
Help is available. It’s free. It’s confidential. It’s for you.
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