A factsheet specifically aimed at school staff but also useful for parents, friends or colleagues which will help you to identify key warning signs that somebody may be developing an eating disorder.

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WARNING SIGNS – ANOREXIA
Restricted Eating
In order to reduce their calorie intake, anorexics will typically restrict their food intake. Restricted eating can
refer to limiting the quantities consumed of all types of food and / or avoiding entire food groups – for
example by becoming vegetarian or vegan.
Busy at Lunchtime
Many anorexics will manage to skip lunch without causing too much of a fuss by ensuring that they are far too
busy to fit lunch in. They might schedule study, sports music etc. for every lunch break and never make it to
the school canteen.
Strange Behaviour Around Food
Anorexia is an illness that is typified by strange behaviours around food. Many sufferers develop complex
rules about what they can and can’t eat and how they can eat it - perhaps carefully cutting all food in half and
eating only one half for instance. Anorexics can also get very distressed around food so if you see a young
person exhibiting signs of panic whilst eating or near to people eating, this is a cause for concern.
Wearing Baggy Clothes
Anorexics will often hide their wasting frame underneath oversized clothes. This can be either because they
feel ugly and fat and want to hide their true shape, or because they want to cover up their weight loss so it
doesn’t get questioned.
Wrapping Up Warm
As their weight loss increases, anorexics will feel increasingly cold all the time as they don’t have the layer of
fat to insulate them that most of us have. In order to compensate for this they’ll often wear several layers of
clothing and will often be seen to wrap up warm even on relatively mild days.
Loss of Friends
As the disease takes grip it is hard for the sufferer to focus on anything other than their internal battle with
food. As such they tend to neglect their friendships and become quite isolated. Cutting themselves off in this
way also decreases the potential for them having to eat in a social situation which can often be one of the
biggest fears an anorexic can face.
Believes They’re Fat When They’re Not
A distorted body image is a key indicator of anorexia. Even as they waste away anorexics will cry themselves
to sleep over their bodies which they perceive as obese. If a young person you know has wildly inaccurate
views about their own body weight then you are right to be concerned.

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Avoiding PE or Swimming
Anorexics will often avoid situations which involve them undressing in front of other people. Partly because
they are ashamed of their bodies which they believe to be grotesque and overweight and partly because they
may be trying to hide the extent of their weight loss. Conversely, some young people will over exercise, taking
every opportunity to burn extra calories both in and beyond scheduled lessons.