How to Use Unexplained Weight Loss to Detect Anorexia

Someone you love--probably a young woman in her teens or early 20s--is starting to look thin and frail. She makes excuses not to come to the table at mealtimes, or if she comes, eats very little. Cheek, elbow and knee bones show prominently. You wonder if you can accurately use this unexplained weight loss to detect anorexia.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Observe the person and her eating habits over time. Look for when, what and how she eats. Listen for the way she talks about food, weight and clothing sizes.

2. Look for other signs of illness, including low-grade fever (characterized by warm hands or a warm face), exaggerated mood swings and frequent trips to the bathroom throughout the day. If you detect any of these symptoms, the problem is probably not anorexia.

3. Watch the person to see if his weight loss appears to be increasing, decreasing or staying the same.

4. Talk to your loved one directly. Express your concern about her unexplained weight loss and the possibility that she might have anorexia. A negative or evasive answer may be another indicator of anorexia.

5. Ask someone close to the person to use his influence with her to halt her unhealthy weight loss. For instance, you might want to speak to her parents about your concerns, particularly if she is a minor. If she is over 18, mention the problem to a roommate, boyfriend or college counselor.

6. Work with family and friends to be sure that the person with unexplained weight loss sees a doctor. No matter what the cause, excessive thinness is a dangerous condition that needs to be diagnosed and treated quickly.

Tips & Warnings

• A person with anorexia may talk excessively about food, express an abnormal fear of weight gain (when offered a high-calorie snack, for instance) and worry or brag about her clothing size.
• While the overwhelming majority of anorexia cases involve young women, older women and even men, especially athletes, can also have this or other eating disorders. Any significant, rapid weight loss should be noted and monitored.
• Observe the person without making a nuisance of yourself. If she suspects that you are trying to detect anorexia, she may become withdrawn and defensive.
• Don't be hasty in deciding that a person must have anorexia. Unexplained weight loss can be caused by other factors, including problems with the digestive tract, drug abuse (especially the abuse of amphetamines), infection (such as hepatitis) or depression. Only a doctor can diagnose the problem properly.

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Resources

• Wrong Diagnosis for info on conditions that may result in weight loss.