Warning Signs of Eating Disorders

Activity Overview

Disordered eating is something that is usually kept a secret. Some of these warning signs may be a cry for help and should not be ignored. In this activity, students will create visuals of the most important warning signs, which will help them identify them in real life. There are a few, small warning signs that you may be able to pick up on when someone is suffering when it comes to weight control. Some of them may be:

• Preoccupation with weight, calories, fat content
• Denial of hunger
• Isolation when eating
• Dramatic weight loss
• Baggy clothing to hide weight loss
• Comments about weight
• Excessive exercise
• Food rituals
• Avoiding eating entirely
• Use of bathroom directly after eating
• Difficulty concentrating
• Brittle nails and thinning hair
• Frequent sickness and poor healing of wounds

Eating disorders do not discriminate based on gender, so making sure students do not make atypical storyboards is important. The students may select their warning signs from the list above, or the teacher can pre-select which ones they want students to use. It is important to stress to your students that creating disturbing scenes may be a trigger to themselves or others.

Template and Class Instructions

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