1. Do you think a lot about food, weight and the way your body looks?
2. Do you believe your life would better somehow – that people would like you more, or that you would like yourself more – if you were just a little thinner?
3. Do you constantly compare yourself to other people – their appearance, their abilities, their popularity, etc.?
4. Do you feel pretty low about yourself, like maybe you’re not a good or valuable person?
5. Do you feel the need to be in control a lot?
6. Do you often feel like you are out of control, or that things in your life are out of your control?
7. Do you feel that you have to take care of other people’s needs and feelings? Are their needs and feelings more important than your own?
8. Are you a perfectionist? Do you avoid trying new things because you’re afraid you won’t be able to do them perfectly? Are you always pushing yourself harder than other people to do things “just right?”
9. Do you have a hard time expressing your feelings? Is it sometimes hard to even know what you’re feeling?
10. Do you feel that you should handle your problems on your own, and not be a “burden” to others?
11. Do you feel like you sometimes don’t know who you are – like your identity is not clear, or wrapped up in just one thing (i.e., “the smart one” or “the skater”)? Do you lack interests or hobbies?
12. Do you try to avoid conflict with others whenever possible? Worry a lot about hurting other people or making them mad?
13. Are you having a hard time adjusting to some major change in your life (i.e., going away to university, accepting your parent’s divorce, your new marriage)?
14. Do you feel like there are a lot of problems in your family, maybe ones that you don’t know how to fix?
15. Do you feel like you are supposed to fix other people’s problems?
16. Are you very influenced by what other people think? Do you feel obligated to meet other people’s expectations?
17. Do you often feel anxious or nervous? Do you have a hard time relaxing?
18. Do you struggle with depression?
19. Do you have urges to hurt yourself, or commit suicide?***
20. Has there been some trauma (i.e., an accident, death of a loved one) that you can’t seem to get over?
21. Have you been abused by someone? Does it still bother you?
22. Do you have a family member who has struggled with an eating disorder; or a family member who seems to have problems with food and body size?
23. Has anyone raised a concern about your eating habits or your weight recently?
24. Do you find yourself becoming secretive or deceptive, especially about your eating habits?
25. Do you find it easier, or more comforting, to think about food and your body instead of the issues listed in the questions above?

If you answered yes to even half the questions above, you could be at higher risk for developing an eating disorder. If you are already spending most of your day thinking about food (eating or not eating); weight and your body size; if you’re weight has increased or decreased dramatically; if you are losing interest in the things you used to enjoy; or if you are pulling away from important relationships, you may already be in trouble. You don’t have to wait until you have developed a full-blown ED to get help – in fact, the sooner you address these troubling thoughts and/or behaviors the better. To arrange a consultation with me, click here. For other treatment resources, click here.

Know that there is help (click here to see a list of helpful links and resources) and that the sooner you get treatment, the greater the chances for recovery. If you are reading this quiz for someone you care about, whom you fear may be developing an eating disorder, click here to see information for family and friends.