Eating Disorder Symptoms

Eating Disorder Symptoms

• Intense fear of weight gain and preoccupation with caloric intake
• Strict caloric restriction (< 1,000 kcal/day), skipping breakfast, and cutting food into small pieces
• Objective binge episodes 2x/week involving high-carbohydrate foods
• Self-induced vomiting post-binge and compulsive cardiovascular exercise (90 min/day)
• Severe body dysmorphia; perceives abdomen and thighs as overweight despite BMI of 16.8 kg/m²
• Increased irritability, emotional lability, and heightened guilt after eating
• Avoids family meals and restaurants; socially withdrawn from peers
• Weighs self 3x/day and frequently pinches abdominal skin to check fat stores
• Orthostatic dizziness, chronic fatigue, and resting bradycardia (HR 48 bpm)
• Early satiety, postprandial bloating, and chronic constipation
• Secondary amenorrhea for the past 8 months
• Brittle nails, dry skin (xerosis), Diffuse scalp hair thinning, and fine lanugo on forearms
• Persistent cold intolerance and acrocyanosis in extremities
• Poor concentration and rigid, obsessive thinking around meal times
• Initial insomnia and fragmented sleep
• Lingual dental enamel erosion and increased thermal sensitivity
• Generalized proximal muscle weakness and lower extremity cramping
• Mild hypokalemia (K+ 3.2 mmol/L) on recent lab work
• Comorbid generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

Note: Clinical presentation and symptom severity vary significantly depending on the specific eating disorder subtype and the individual patient's physiological status.