Are You Dying to Be Thin?
Due to increase in public awareness, ANOREXIA NERVOSA (key symptoms: refusal to maintain a minimally healthy body weight, intense fear of gaining weight, and a significan disturbance in the perception of the shape or size of one's body) and BULIMIA NERVOSA (key symptoms: binge eating -- eating what the individual considers to be too much food in a way that feels out of control -- followed by inappropriate compensatory behaviors, e.g. self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise) are becoming more and more openly acknowledged.
The following questionnaire will tell you whether or not you think or behave in a way that indicates that you have tendencies toward anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa.
DIRECTIONS: Answer the questions below honestly. Respond as you are now, not the way you used to be or the way you would like to be. Print this page and write the number of your answer in the space at the left. Do not leave any questions blank unless instructed to do so.
| I have eating habits that differ from those of my family and friends. 1 Often | 2 Sometimes | 3 Rarely | 4 Never |
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| I find myself panicking if I cannot exercise as I planned, because I am afraid that I will gain weight if I don't. 1 Often | 2 Sometimes | 3 Rarely | 4 Never |
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| My friends tell me that I am thin, but I don't believe them because I feel fat. 1 Often | 2 Sometimes | 3 Rarely | 4 Never |
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| (Females Only) My menstrual period has stopped or become irregular due to no known medical reasons. 1 True | 2 False |
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| I have become obsessed with food to the point that I cannot go through a day without worrying about what I will or will not eat. 1 Almost always | 2 Sometimes | 3 Rarely | 4 Never |
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| I have lost more than 15% of what is considered to be a healthy weight for my height (e.g., female, 5'4" tall loses 20 pounds when a healthy weight is approximately 122 pounds). 1 True | 2 False |
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| I would panic is I got on the scale tomorrow and found that I had gained two pounds. 1 Almost always | 2 Sometimes | 3 Rarely | 4 Never |
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| I find that I prefer to eat alone or when I am sure that no one will see me, and thus make excuses so that I can eat less and less often with friends or family. 1 Often | 2 Sometimes | 3 Rarely | 4 Never |
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| I find myself going on uncontrollable eating binges during which I consume large amounts of food to the point that I feel sick and make myself vomit. 1 Never | 2 Less than 1 time/week | 3 1-6 times/week | 4 1 or more times/day |
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| (NOTE: Answer only if your answer to #9 is "1;" otherwise leave blank.) I find myself compulsively eating more than I want to while feeling out of control and/or unaware of what I am doing. 1 Never | 2 Less than 1 time/week | 3 1-6 times/week | 4 1 or more times/day |
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| I use laxatives or diuretics as a means of weight control. 1 Never | 2 Less than 1 time/week | 3 1-6 times/week | 4 1 or more times/day |
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| I find myself playing games with food (e.g. cutting it up in tiny pieces, hiding food so people will think I ate it, chewing it and spitting it out without swallowing it, keeping hidden stashes of food) and/or I have determined that there are "safe" foods that are okay for me to eat and "bad" foods that are not. 1 Often | 2 Sometimes | 3 Rarely | 4 Never |
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| People areound me have become very interested in what I eat and I find myself getting angry at them for pushing me to eat more. 1 Often | 2 Sometimes | 3 Rarely | 4 Never |
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| I have felt more depressed and irritable recently than is typical for me and/or have been spending an increasing amount of time alone. 1 True | 2 False |
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| I keep a lot of my fears about food and eating to myself because I am afraid no one would understand. 1 Often | 2 Sometimes | 3 Rarely | 4 Never |
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| I enjoy making courmet and/or high calorie foods for others as long as I don't have to eat any myself. 1 Often | 2 Sometimes | 3 Rarely | 4 Never |
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| The most powerful fear in my life is the fear of gaining weight or becoming fat. 1 Often | 2 Sometimes | 3 Rarely | 4 Never |
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| I exercise a lot (more than 4 times per week and/or more than 4 hours per week) as a means of weight control. 1 True | 2 False |
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| I find myself totally absorbed when reading books or magazines about dieting, exercising, fitness, or calorie counting to the point that I can spend hours studying them. 1 Often | 2 Sometimes | 3 Rarely | 4 Never |
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| I tend to be a perfectionist and am not satisfied with myself unless I do things perfectly. 1 Almost always | 2 Sometimes | 3 Rarely | 4 Never |
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| I go through long periods of time without eating (fasting) or eating very little as a means of weight contol.l 1 Often | 2 Sometimes | 3 Rarely | 4 Never |
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| It is important for me to try to be thinner than all my friends. 1 Almost always | 2 Sometimes | 3 Rarely | 4 Never |
| Scoring | |||||||||
| Step 1: ADD YOUR RESPONSES TOGETHER, THEN WRITE THE TOTAL HERE. THIS IS YOUR SCORE. | |||||||||
| Step 2: COMPARE YOUR SCORE WITH THE TABLE BELOW. | |||||||||
If you scored below 50, it would be wise for you to 1) seek more information about anorexia nerrvosa and bulimia nervosa and 2) contact a counselor, pastor, teacher, or physician in order to find out if you have an eating disorder and, if you do, talk about what kind of assistance would be best for you. If you scored between 50 and 60, it would be a good idea for you to talk to a counselor, pastor, teacher, or physician in order to find out if you have an eating disorder and, if you do, how to get some help. If you scored over 60, but have questions and concerns about the way you eat and/or your weight, it would be a good idea for you to talk to a counselor, pastor, teacher, or physician in order to determine if you have an eating disorder and, if you do, how to get some help. NOTE! Eating disorders are potentially life-threatening disorders which can be overcome with the proper information, support, and counseling. The earlier you seek help, the better, although it is never too late to begin the road to recovery. For more information contact Donna at the Health Center, x3013. |
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