Eating Disorder Quiz
Women in need of eating disorder treatment often are in denial about the symptoms and effects of their bulimia, anorexia, or compulsive overeating (binge eating). One of the symptoms of an eating disorder is that the woman's entire family and significant other are affected by the disorder. Family members and loved ones often feel helpless and confused as they watch someone they care for suffer and deteriorate from an eating disorder. We have created this eating disorder quiz for women and their families to help them reflect on the impact the eating disorder may be having on their lives.
Getting the woman to accept help to stop her eating disorder can sometimes be difficult because of her denial. Women cannot begin the process of receiving treatment for their eating disorders until they are willing to get help to stop their anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating. This eating disorder quiz may provide insight, or spur other questions that can be asked of someone at an eating disorder clinic or a member of our eating disorder intake and admissions team.
This eating disorder quiz may also help the many women who are at risk for developing an eating disorder or may be in the early stages of a dangerous eating disorder. Use the quiz to help determine if you or a loved one is at risk or may be in need of treatment for an eating disorder.
Do you worry about gaining weight? |
Constantly | Often | Rarely (a normal amount) |
Are you inexplicably tired relative to the amount of energy expended, and/or do you find yourself often fatigued? |
Constantly | Often | Rarely (a normal amount) |
Do you avoid foods because of the fat, carbohydrate, or sugar content in them? |
Constantly | Often | Rarely (a normal amount) |
Are you secretive about your eating practices, do you think they are abnormal, and/or would you avoid recommending your methods to a family member or friend? |
Yes | Maybe | No |
How often do you think about wanting to be thinner? |
Constantly | Often | Rarely (a normal amount) |
Do you find that you seek approval from people, and/or that you have a hard time saying "no"? |
Yes | Maybe | No |
Are you bothered by the thought of having fat on your body? |
Yes | Maybe | No |
Do you feel guilty after eating? |
Constantly | Often | Rarely (a normal amount) |
Do you feel that food controls your life? |
Yes | Maybe | No |
Are you a perfectionist, or an overachiever? Ie. do you think no matter what you do it is never enough? |
Yes | Maybe | No |
Do you find that you are always questioning your own judgments and/or actions, and/or do you scrutinize yourself over small faults? |
Constantly | Often | Rarely (a normal amount) |
Do you think you are not good enough, stupid, and/or worthless or that people are always judging you in a negative way? |
Constantly | Often | Rarely (a normal amount) |
Do you hide your feelings and/or opinions from people for fear of being judged negatively, and/or do you feel like a burden to others with your problems? |
Yes | Maybe | No |
Within your family and/or circle of friends are you considered "the strong one" who everyone will come to with problems, and/or you never seem to talk much about your own? |
Yes | Maybe | No |
Do you think life would be better and/or people would like you more if you were thin/thinner? |
Yes | Maybe | No |
Do you eat, self-starve or restrict, binge and/or purge, and/or compulsively exercise when you are feeling lonely, badly about yourself or about a situation, or when you are feeling emotional pressures? |
Constantly | Often | Rarely (a normal amount) |
While eating, self-starving, or binging and/or purging do you feel comforted, relieved, like emotional pressures have been lifted, or like you are in more control? |
Yes | Maybe | No |
Do you feel guilty following a binge and/or purge episode, after eating or during and/or after periods of restriction/self-starvation? |
Yes | Maybe | No |
When eating do you ever feel out of control or like you will lose control and not be able to stop; and/or do you try to avoid eating because of this fear? |
Constantly | Often | Rarely (a normal amount) |
Do you typically feel guilty after a binge, or after any snack or meal, and like you have almost instantly gained weight, like you are a failure, and/or like you have sabotaged yourself? |
Yes | Maybe | No |
Are you temperature sensitive (always feel cold or hot), and/or do you get tingling in you extremities (hands and feet)? |
Yes | Maybe | No |
Do you find that you bruise easily, have a very high tolerance for pain, and/or you are extremely noise sensitive (even only slightly loud noises irritate you)? |
Yes | Maybe | No |
Do you spend a lot of time obsessively cooking for others or reading recipes, and/or studying the nutritional information on food (calories, fat grams, etc.)? |
Yes | Maybe | No |
Do you use self-injury (cutting yourself, burning yourself, pulling out your own hair) as a way to cope with things? |
Yes | Maybe | No |
Do you lie about your eating behaviors, hide them from others at all costs, and/or would you lie or steal to see they could continue? |
Yes | Maybe | No |
Would you worry about a friend or family member that came to you with similar weight-loss/coping methods? |
Yes | Maybe | No |
If you answered more than two questions with "Yes" or "Constantly," you should contact our eating disorder clinic for a more thorough and personalized assessment of the eating behavior. Even if you answered numerous questions with "Maybe" or "Often," it is possible that you may be suffering from an eating disorder or at risk of developing a disorder. It is much better to talk with an eating disorder expert and have your questions answered than risk developing a potentially deadly eating disorder like anorexia, bulimia, or compulsive overeating.
The staff at our eating disorder treatment center is trained and experienced to expertly answer your questions in a caring and supportive manner. We are here to help you put an end to the destruction of disordered eating, but we cannot help unless you reach out and contact us.
