Think you have an eating disorder? How to know and get help in Louisville

Sarah Ladd, Louisville Courier Journal
·3 min read

This article discusses eating disorders. If you or someone you know has an eating disorder, you can get help through the National Eating Disorder Association by calling 800-931-2237 or chatting online at nationaleatingdisorder.org. The Louisville Center for Eating Disorders provides nonemergency services, including outpatient therapy. Visit louisvillecenterforeatingdisorders.com or call 502-205-1114 for more information.

Millions of Americans will experience an eating disorder at some point in their life, according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, and Louisville has seen an increase in people seeking care since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

The good news is that help and support is available to anyone whose relationship with food isn't healthy.

"If you think you have an eating disorder, the hardest thing to do is to reach out for help," said Dr. Cheri Levinson, the founder and clinical director of the Louisville Center for Eating Disorders and an associate professor at the University of Louisville.

"If you have any sort of inkling or any sort of suspicion that you or someone you love has an eating disorder, the best thing to do is to be brave and reach out for help because the longer it goes without getting help, the harder it is to treat," she added. "Eating disorders really thrive on secrecy."

Here are some warning signs to be aware of if you think you might have an eating disorder, and what you can do to get help.

More:'It's not a teenage girl disease.' Eating disorders are rampant in Louisville

What are eating disorder warning signs?

There are many warning signs or indications that a person has an eating disorcer, Levinson said.

Levinson and Dr. Alexandria Pruitt, the associate director of the Louisville Center for Eating Disorders, said those can include:

  • Constantly weighing or checking your body in the mirror

  • Weight gain or loss with no medical explanation

  • An obsession with working out, and feeling like you can't take a break

  • Feelings of shame, guilt or anxiety over eating

  • Rigidly counting calories

  • Isolating yourself

  • Pinching your sides or measuring your limbs

  • Avoiding social situations because you don't want people looking at your body

  • Spending time every day thinking about your shape or weight

  • Having times that feel like you can't control yourself when you eat

  • A sudden diet change that cut out food groups for the sake of weight loss

  • Feeling like you haven't done enough in the day to deserve food

  • Saying no when your body craves something

  • Comparing your body size, workouts or meal size to people around you

  • Following weight loss accounts on social media and wish you were doing more

  • Constantly talking about food, weight loss and exercise

OK − I think I have an eating disorder. What should I do about it?

There are several options for getting support and help if you think you are on the eating disorder spectrum, Levinson said.

Those include:

Reach health reporter Sarah Ladd at sladd@courier-journal.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ladd_sarah.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Signs of an eating disorder and how to get help in Louisville