Ask Jigsaw: How do I know if I have an eating disorder?

Friday, 17 July 2020

How do I know that I am developing an eating disorder and how should I explain it to my parents and therapist?

Hi there,

Noticing a change in our mental health can be a little frightening. It’s not unusual to seek a diagnosis for us to better understand what’s going on. If you have noticed a change in how you think about your body, or how you feel and/or act in relation to food, it’s important to explore this further. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you have an eating disorder. Quite often, if we get the right support when we first notice these changes, we can prevent things from getting worse. In other cases, we might need to get a diagnosis to access a higher level of support. You can find out more about the development of eating disorders at Body Whys.

Vicky

Jigsaw Clinician

Explain how you are feeling and why you are worried that you might be developing an eating disorder.

Communicating with your parents and therapist is a positive move towards understanding what’s going on for you right now. Asking for help is not always easy, and there is no correct way to go about it. However, as you are accessing support, you may already have had some tricky conversations. Use your courage to be as honest as possible and explain how you are feeling and why you are worried that you might be developing an eating disorder. If it helps, you can write this down first to remind you what you want them to know. It might also be useful to chat to your GP as they can be very helpful in figuring out what the next step will be for you.

Best of luck with getting the right support.

Vicky, Jigsaw Clinician