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November 18, 2025

How Do I Know If I Have an Eating Disorder? Signs, Symptoms, and When to Seek Help

Learn the signs of an eating disorder, how symptoms appear, and when to seek support for recovery in NYC and Miami.

Created By:

Yiting Huang, MA

Yiting Huang is a research coordinator who leads data-driven child and adolescent mental health projects, supporting scientific writing, analysis, and the smooth execution of research operations.

Created Date:

November 18, 2025

Reviewed By:

Ryan Sultan, MD

Dr. Ryan Sultan is an internationally recognized Columbia, Cornell, and Emory trained and double Board-Certified Psychiatrist. He treats patients of all ages and specializes in Anxiety, Ketamine, Depression, ADHD.

Reviewed By:

Ryan Sultan, MD

Reviewed On Date:

November 18, 2025

Estimated Read Time

minutes.

Key Takeaways

Eating disorders don’t require extreme symptoms—if food causes distress, it deserves attention.
Warning signs include restriction, bingeing, purging, compulsive exercise, and obsessive body thoughts.
Mental-health conditions like depression, anxiety, ADHD, OCD, and BPD often overlap with eating disorders.
Diagnosis considers emotional patterns, behaviors, physical symptoms—not just weight.
Early treatment dramatically improves recovery outcomes.
Integrative Psych (NYC & Miami) provides expert, compassionate care for all eating-disorder presentations.

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Understanding Eating Disorders: Why Early Detection Matters

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*Image: A person eating a fresh salad with greens and sliced meat at a restaurant table, using a fork and knife.*

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Eating disorders are complex medical and psychological conditions that affect people of every gender, age, race, and body type. Many individuals struggle silently for years because they don’t believe their symptoms are “serious enough” to qualify as a disorder.

The truth is this:

If your relationship with food, eating, exercise, or your body causes distress or interferes with daily life, it deserves attention.

You do not need to be underweight, hospitalized, or meeting every diagnostic criterion to seek help. Early recognition dramatically improves long-term recovery.

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What Counts as an Eating Disorder?

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Eating disorders include several clinical diagnoses, each with its own pattern of symptoms:

Anorexia Nervosa
Bulimia Nervosa
Binge Eating Disorder (BED)
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorders (OSFED)
Pica & Rumination Disorders
Exercise Addiction / Compulsive Exercise
Orthorexia (not yet in DSM-5 but clinically recognized)

But many people fall into “subclinical” presentations—serious enough to cause medical and emotional harm even if they don’t meet all criteria.

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Common Signs You May Have an Eating Disorder

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Below are evidence-based signs, validated across NEDA, NIMH, and APA guidelines.

1. Obsessive Thoughts About Food, Weight, or Body Image

Ask yourself:

Do I think about food all day?
Do I feel out of control or guilty after eating?
Do I constantly check mirrors, pinch my body, or weigh myself?

If thoughts about food or appearance dominate your mental space, this is a warning sign.

2. Restricting Food — Even If Not Underweight

Restriction can look like:

skipping meals
eating tiny portions
eliminating entire food groups
following rigid rules (e.g., “I can’t eat after 6 p.m.”)
calling restriction “clean eating”

Restriction harms your metabolism, mood, hormones, and brain function regardless of weight.

3. Binge Eating or Feeling Out of Control Around Food

Binge eating involves consuming unusually large amounts of food with:

a sense of urgency
eating in secret
feeling numb during the binge
guilt or shame afterward

BED is the most common eating disorder in the U.S., affecting millions.

4. Purging or Compensatory Behaviors

These behaviors aim to “undo” calories:

vomiting
laxatives
diuretics
compulsive exercise
fasting after eating

Even occasional purging is medically dangerous.

5. Exercising to Earn or Burn Food

Red flags include:

feeling anxious if you miss a workout
exercising while sick or injured
working out multiple times per day
tying self-worth to calories burned

This is not fitness — it’s distress.

6. Emotional Distress Around Eating

panic when faced with fear foods
avoiding social events involving food
eating alone to hide behaviors
crying, anxiety, or irritability after meals

If eating feels like an emotional battle, this is a sign of dysregulation.

7. Physical Symptoms

dizziness, fainting
cold intolerance
digestive issues
hair loss
muscle weakness
menstrual irregularities
heart palpitations

Eating disorders affect every organ system. Symptoms can be severe even if you appear “healthy.”

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Self-Assessment: Questions to Ask Yourself

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If you answer yes to several of these, you may be experiencing an eating disorder:

Do I feel guilty or ashamed when I eat?
Do I think about food or weight more than half the day?
Do I avoid social plans because of food-related fear?
Do I obsessively track calories, steps, or macros?
Do I hide my eating habits from others?
Have my eating behaviors worsened my mental health or relationships?
Do I experience medical symptoms related to eating or weight changes?

You don’t need to figure this out alone.

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How Eating Disorders Are Diagnosed

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A clinician may evaluate:

eating patterns
weight changes
medical status
psychological factors
co-occurring disorders
history of trauma or bullying
body image concerns

Screening tools may include:

EDE-Q (Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire)
SCOFF questionnaire
PHQ-9 (mood)
GAD-7 (anxiety)

Diagnosis is not based solely on weight.

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Do I Need Treatment?

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If your relationship with food causes distress—treatment is appropriate.

You don’t need to wait for:

extreme weight loss
collapse
hospitalization
daily purging
severe bingeing

Early intervention reduces medical risk and speeds recovery.

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Treatment Options

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1. Therapy

CBT-E (gold standard for eating disorders)
DBT (helpful for BPD, bingeing, or emotion-driven eating)
ACT (for perfectionism and control issues)
Family-Based Therapy (FBT) for adolescents

2. Nutrition Support

Dietitians specializing in eating disorders help rebuild healthy eating patterns.

3. Psychiatric Care

Medications may help treat underlying anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, or mood instability.

4. Higher Levels of Care

If needed, treatment may include:

Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP)
Partial Hospitalization (PHP)
Residential treatment
Medical hospitalization (if medically unstable)

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Helping a Loved One

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Say things like:

“I care about you and I’ve noticed some changes.”
“You deserve support.”
“I’m here to help you find someone to talk to.”

Avoid comments about weight or appearance.

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About Integrative Psych in Chelsea, NYC and Miami

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At Integrative Psych, we specialize in diagnosing and treating eating disorders with compassionate, evidence-based care. Our clinicians—psychiatrists, psychologists, and therapists—treat the full spectrum of eating disorders alongside co-occurring conditions like depression, anxiety, ADHD, OCD, BPD, and psychosis.

We provide: