Early Warning Signs of Eating
Disorders in Classrooms,
Corridors, Lunch Rooms and
Guidance Offices
By Abigail Natenshon

It is critical that school professionals understand that eating disorders are less about food and more about how a student attempts to confront and respond to stress, anxiety and the exigencies of life. Eating disorders are coping mechanisms, a misuse of food to resolve emotional problems. As pseudo-solutions to real problems, while offering a sense of control in an otherwise out of control existence, eating disorders create more problems than they solve.

The earliest warning signs of disease may be seen in a student’s affect, mood, thinking, learning capacity and work ethic, even before they take their toll in food related behavior or physical appearance. 86 percent of eating disorders occur on young people under the age of 20.

Educators may look for signs:

In the classroom:

• The eating disordered student may appear to be the ideal student, overly invested in achieving good grades and in maintaining a high profile in a myriad of extra-curricular activities and athletics.
  
• The student’s work ethic and work quality may deteriorate.
  
• The student may appear to be depressed, fatigued, distracted, fidgety, or unmotivated.
  
• The student may have difficulty handling stress.
  
• The student may demonstrate black and white thinking.
  
• The student may express concerns about body image and thinness.
  
• The student may be withdrawn from others.
  
• The student may carry his or her own food to outings and events where food is provided.
  
• The student may chew gum, drink water, or suck hard candies excessively.
  
• The student may appear to be losing weight.
  

In lunch rooms:

• The student may skip lunch, restrict food, or consider diet pop and an apple to be a meal
  
• High achievers might schedule a class or activity during the lunchtime slot.
  
• The student may not feel comfortable eating in front of others and may eat surreptitiously.
  

In the gym:

• The student may be a compulsive exerciser.
  
• The student may be overly competitive.
  
• The student may display various compulsions in the locker room or prior to athletic events.
  

In the nurses office:

• The student may frequently feel dizzy or weak and need to lie down.
  

In the Guidance office:

• Anorexic or bulimic students will, in most cases, not feel free to confess their abuses of food to the counselor; they do not see that these behaviors are abnormal or problematic, and are typically frightened about being required to give up behaviors that are felt to be strengthening and empowering.
  
• Students need to be actively and sensitively proded to disclose what may be symptoms of the most lethal of all the mental illnesses, resulting in the death of 10 to 13 percent of its victims.
  
• When a friend comes to talk with you about someone she knows, be aware that the person referred to just may be herself.
  

There is a far greater likelihood that these signs will appear in school and at home before they do in the doctor or therapist’s office. Signs of clinical, preclinical or subclinical eating disorders deserve attention. Recognizing and defining disease and symptoms of diseases in the making are the first steps in healing and prevention.