# Eating Disorder Test: Is My Relationship with Food Healthy?

> A free, anonymous 14-question screening questionnaire to assess restriction, binge eating, compensatory behaviours and concern about weight and body image.

*https://mypsicotest.com/en/eating-disorder-test/ · 14 questions · 4 min · 100% free and anonymous · Updated: 2026-10-27*

Does food take up too much space in your head, does your weight decide how you value yourself, or does guilt arrive after every meal? **Eating disorders** usually begin quietly, disguised as "looking after yourself" or "having willpower", and they can affect anyone, whatever their body, age or gender. This test helps you put words to what is happening in four minutes, with no sign-up and without sending your answers to any server. It is not here to judge you: it is here so that you can ask for help in time if you need it.

## The 14 questions in this test

*Think about how you have felt and behaved over the last 3 months.*

1. I set myself strict rules about what, how much or at what time I am allowed to eat, and I feel bad about myself if I break them.
2. I skip meals or eat considerably less than my body needs in order to control my weight or shape.
3. I think about food, my weight or what I "should" be eating for a large part of the day.
4. I need to control everything I eat in detail (counting, weighing, checking labels) and I get anxious if I cannot.
5. I avoid eating in front of other people or make excuses not to share a meal.
6. I eat a clearly larger amount of food than normal in a short time, with the feeling that I cannot stop.
7. I eat in secret or keep eating even when I am no longer hungry, until I feel uncomfortably full.
8. After eating, I try to "get rid of" what I have eaten by making myself vomit or by taking laxatives or diuretics.
9. I exercise intensely or fast to make up for what I have eaten, even when I am tired or unwell.
10. I feel guilty or ashamed after eating, even after a normal meal.
11. I have an intense fear of gaining weight or losing control of my weight, even when others tell me there is no reason to worry.
12. My weight or my shape largely determines how I value myself as a person.
13. I look at myself with disgust, avoid mirrors and photos, or check over and over parts of my body that I dislike.
14. People close to me have told me they are worried about the way I eat, my weight or my relationship with food.

**Answer scale:** 0 = Never · 1 = Rarely · 2 = Sometimes · 3 = Often · 4 = Very often

## Your result

### No warning signs in your relationship with food (Score ≤ 12)

Your answers reflect a low frequency of restriction, binge eating, compensatory behaviours and concern about weight. Almost everyone has days when they feel uncomfortable in their body or eat more than they meant to; what defines an eating disorder is that these experiences are **frequent, distressing and rule daily life**. According to this screening, that is unlikely to be your case. Even so, if you marked "often" or "very often" on any specific question, particularly those about vomiting, laxatives or fasting, it is worth discussing with a professional.

- Keep a flexible relationship with food: eating regularly, without lists of forbidden foods, is the best protective factor against eating disorders.
- Take care too with how you talk about your body and other people's; comments about weight, even well-meaning ones, do harm.
- If your self-esteem or your mood worries you more than food does, you can complete the self-esteem test or the depression test.

### Some signs worth keeping an eye on (Score ≤ 24)

You show some attitudes or behaviours that appear in eating disorders, though at a frequency that is not yet clearly significant. It may be a period of heavy pressure about your body, a diet that is becoming too rigid, or the beginning of a problem you are still in time to stop. Check the breakdown by area: if one of the three scores clearly higher than the others, that is where your attention belongs. Remember that eating disorders do not start all at once, but with small rules that gradually harden.

- For two weeks, note down without judging yourself the moments when food or your body cause you most distress; that record will be very useful if you decide to consult.
- Try not to skip meals and avoid restrictive diets: restriction is the main trigger for binge eating and for obsessing over food.
- If you notice the rules are growing or you are starting to hide what you eat, talk to a psychologist as soon as possible; early intervention makes the difference.

### Moderate indicators of a possible eating disorder (Score ≤ 38)

Your score indicates a pattern of thoughts and behaviours **consistent with an eating disorder**. People who score in this range usually describe food and weight taking up a large share of their mental energy, a mood that depends on what they have eaten or what the scales say, and growing difficulty enjoying meals with others. This result is not a diagnosis, but it is a clear reason to request a professional assessment. The earlier an eating disorder is addressed, the shorter and more complete recovery tends to be.

- Book an appointment with a psychologist who specialises in eating disorders and, in parallel, with your GP for a basic physical check-up.
- Do not try to "fix it" with more control or another diet: that usually makes the problem worse. What helps is getting back to a regular eating pattern with professional support.
- Share what is happening with someone you trust; secrecy and shame are the fuel of eating disorders, and telling someone is the first step out.

### High indicators of an eating disorder (Score ≤ 56)

You have marked most of the behaviours and thoughts that characterise eating disorders as occurring very often: restriction, binge eating, compensatory behaviours and self-esteem that depends on weight. A result like this usually corresponds to people for whom food has become a constant source of distress and who have been suffering in silence for some time. It is not your fault and it is not a lack of willpower: it is a health problem that **can be treated and that people recover from**. What matters now is that you do not face it alone.

- Request an assessment with a team specialising in eating disorders (psychology, nutrition and medicine) as soon as possible; in a public health system, your GP can refer you to an eating disorders service.
- If you have frequent vomiting, dizziness, fainting, palpitations or have lost weight rapidly, see a doctor this week: your body needs a check-up.
- Tell someone you trust and ask them to come with you to the first appointment; taking that step with company is much easier.

## What are eating disorders?

**Eating disorders** are mental health conditions in which the relationship with food, weight and body image becomes so distressing that it ends up damaging physical health, mood and social life. They are not a fad, a phase or a choice: they have biological, psychological and social roots, and they affect people of every gender, age, body and background.

The DSM-5-TR and the ICD-11 describe several main presentations:

- **Anorexia nervosa:** persistent restriction of intake, an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted body image. It may involve a low weight or, in its *atypical* form, a normal or higher weight, with the same risks.
- **Bulimia nervosa:** recurrent episodes of binge eating followed by behaviours to compensate for them (vomiting, laxatives, fasting, excessive exercise), with self-esteem closely tied to the body.
- **Binge eating disorder:** repeated binges with a sense of loss of control and intense distress, without compensatory behaviours. It is the most common eating disorder and the most under-diagnosed.
- **ARFID (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder):** eating very little or very few foods because of lack of interest, sensory hypersensitivity or fear of choking or vomiting, with no concern about weight.
- **Other specified feeding or eating disorders (OSFED):** presentations that do not fully fit the above but cause the same suffering, such as atypical anorexia, purging disorder or night eating syndrome.

Many people move from one presentation to another over time. That is why, more than the label, what matters is spotting early the pattern of restriction, loss of control and distress about the body.

## Warning signs of an eating disorder

Eating disorders rarely announce themselves. They usually begin with a "normal" diet, a change of habits or the wish to "eat healthily", and they harden until they take over everything. These are the signs that help most in spotting them, grouped into three areas.

### Behavioural signs

- Rigid rules about food: forbidden foods, inflexible mealtimes, rituals while eating.
- Skipping meals, eating very slowly, cutting food into tiny pieces or hiding food.
- Avoiding eating in company, celebrations or restaurants.
- Binge episodes, often in secret, followed by guilt.
- Going to the bathroom straight after meals, compulsive exercise or laxative use.
- Weighing yourself many times a day or avoiding the scales altogether.

### Physical signs

- Rapid weight changes in either direction, or frequent fluctuations.
- Tiredness, dizziness, constantly feeling cold, hair loss.
- Irregular or absent periods.
- Digestive discomfort, a sore throat or recurrent dental problems.
- Palpitations or fainting, which need immediate medical attention.

### Emotional signs

- Constant thoughts about food, weight or shape.
- A mood that rises or falls depending on what has been eaten.
- Irritability, withdrawal, anxiety around meals.
- Extreme perfectionism and self-esteem that depends on the body.
- Denying the problem or playing it down when someone points it out.

None of these signs on its own confirms an eating disorder, but several at once, sustained over time, are reason enough to seek advice.

## How does this online eating disorder test work?

This questionnaire consists of **14 statements** written from the DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria and the structure of the most widely used eating disorder screening questionnaires, such as the SCOFF and the EAT-26. They are grouped into three areas: **restriction and control** (rules, skipping meals, constant preoccupation with food), **bingeing and compensation** (loss of control when eating, vomiting, laxatives, fasting or compensatory exercise) and **body image and self-esteem** (fear of gaining weight, guilt after eating, self-worth tied to weight).

For each statement you indicate how often it has happened to you over the **last three months**, from "never" (0 points) to "very often" (4 points). At the end you get a total score from 0 to 56 and a breakdown by area that shows which type of difficulty predominates in your case.

The calculation is done entirely in your browser: we do not ask for your name, your email or your weight, and we do not store any answers. Answer according to what **usually** happens, not an unusually good or bad day, and be honest with yourself: nobody is going to judge you. If a question feels uncomfortable, that is normal; those are often precisely the most important ones.

## How to interpret your eating disorder test score

Scores are grouped into four indicative levels:

- **0-12 · Low:** relationship with food and body without relevant warning signs.
- **13-24 · Mild:** some risky attitudes; worth monitoring and stopping the rules from hardening.
- **25-38 · Moderate:** pattern consistent with an eating disorder; a professional assessment is recommended.
- **39-56 · High:** very frequent behaviours and thoughts, with a probable impact on health; assessment should be a priority.

Two important caveats. First: **a screening test does not diagnose**. A high result means your relationship with food resembles an eating disorder closely enough to justify an assessment, and a low result reduces that likelihood but does not rule it out, especially if you tend to play down what is happening to you. Second: in eating disorders, **some behaviours matter in their own right** even when the total score is low. If you marked "often" or "very often" on the questions about vomiting, laxatives, fasting or exercising to compensate, consult a professional whatever your level.

Only a psychologist, a psychiatrist or a specialist team can confirm a diagnosis, after a clinical interview, a review of your history and, where necessary, a medical and nutritional assessment.

## Eating disorders in men, teenagers and adults: myths that delay help

A number of ideas circulate about eating disorders that lead many people to wait years before asking for help. They are worth dismantling.

### "It only happens to young girls"

Eating disorders appear most often in adolescence and early adulthood, but **they can begin at any age**: some people develop one after 40, following a pregnancy, a bereavement, an illness or the menopause. And in adults who have lived with the problem for years, it easily passes for "being fussy about food".

### "Men don't get eating disorders"

A substantial share of people with binge eating disorder and bulimia are men, and in men the concern often centres on muscle and definition rather than thinness: compulsive training, very rigid diets and supplement use. Because questionnaires and stereotypes were designed with women in mind, men are diagnosed later and less accurately.

### "If their weight is normal, it can't be serious"

Most people with an eating disorder are at a normal or higher weight. Severity is set by the behaviours (vomiting, fasting, bingeing) and the suffering, not by the scales. Physical complications can appear at any weight.

### "It's attention-seeking or a fad"

Eating disorders are illnesses that carry a heavy burden of suffering and, in the case of anorexia nervosa, one of the highest mortality rates of any mental disorder. Taking them seriously from the start saves lives.

## Eating disorders and anxiety, depression, self-esteem and OCD: how they connect

Eating disorders almost never come alone. Understanding what they combine with helps guide treatment and avoids confusing cause with consequence.

- **Anxiety:** many people with an eating disorder describe intense anxiety before eating, in social situations involving food or when they cannot keep to their rules. Restriction and compensatory behaviours work as quick relief from that anxiety, which is what keeps them going.
- **Depression:** low mood, hopelessness and withdrawal are very common, partly as a consequence of malnutrition itself or of the binge-guilt cycle. Thoughts of self-harm must always be taken seriously.
- **Self-esteem:** the feature shared by almost all eating disorders is that **self-worth is measured by weight and shape**. Working on self-esteem is a central part of recovery.
- **OCD and perfectionism:** food rituals, the need for control and intrusive thoughts about the body share mechanisms with obsessive-compulsive disorder, and the two often coexist.
- **Trauma and adverse experiences:** bullying about appearance, comments about weight in childhood or traumatic experiences increase the risk.

In addition, ADHD and autism are associated with a higher risk of some eating disorders (impulsivity and bingeing in the former; sensory selectivity and ARFID in the latter). If your score is high, it may also be useful to complete the self-esteem, anxiety, depression or OCD tests to get a fuller picture.

## What to do after the test: treatment for eating disorders

If your result is moderate or high, or if you frequently marked compensatory behaviours, the next step is a **professional assessment**. Eating disorders are best treated by a **multidisciplinary team** working in a coordinated way:

- **Psychology:** the core of treatment. **Enhanced cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT-E)**, designed specifically for eating disorders, is the approach with the strongest evidence in adults with bulimia, binge eating disorder and anorexia: it regularises meals, reduces bingeing and purging and works on the over-evaluation of weight and shape. In teenagers, **family-based treatment** is the first-line therapy for anorexia and bulimia, because it turns parents into allies in recovery.
- **Nutrition:** a dietitian specialising in eating disorders helps you get back to a regular, flexible eating pattern, without diets or bans.
- **Medicine:** your GP, and in some cases a psychiatrist, monitors physical complications, mood and the need for medication or a more intensive level of care (day hospital or admission) when the risk requires it.

In public health systems, the entry point is your GP, who can refer you to mental health services or a specialist eating disorders service. Privately, a psychologist experienced in eating disorders, such as the one we recommend at the end of the test, can carry out the first assessment and coordinate the rest of the team.

And one idea that must be clear: **recovery is possible**. With appropriate treatment, most people improve significantly and many recover fully, especially when help arrives early. The road may include relapses, and they are part of the process, not a failure.

## The scientific basis of this eating disorder test

The questions in this questionnaire were written from the **DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria** (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, text revision) and the World Health Organization's **ICD-11**, and follow the structure of the most widely used screening instruments in the field: the **SCOFF** (Morgan, Reid and Lacey, 1999), a brief five-question tool validated in primary care; the **EAT-26** (Garner and colleagues, 1982), which explores dieting, bulimia and oral control; and the **EDE-Q** (Fairburn and Beglin), which measures restraint and concern about weight, shape and eating. Our items are original and do not reproduce any of these instruments. The cut-off points are indicative and were set to maximise sensitivity, that is, to avoid leaving out people who could benefit from an assessment. Treatment recommendations follow international clinical guidelines, such as those of the UK's NICE, and the content has been reviewed by the MyPsicoTest team.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can this test diagnose anorexia or bulimia?

No. It is a screening tool that estimates whether your relationship with food, weight and your body resembles an eating disorder. Only a mental health professional, often together with a doctor and a dietitian, can make a diagnosis after a full assessment.

### How do I know if I have an eating disorder?

The clearest signs are food and weight taking up much of your thinking, setting yourself rigid rules or skipping meals, binges with a sense of losing control, trying to compensate for what you eat, and a mood that depends on your body. If you recognise yourself in several of these, seek advice.

### Can I have an eating disorder if my weight is normal?

Yes. Most people with eating disorders are at a normal or higher weight. Bulimia, binge eating disorder and atypical anorexia do not show on the scales, but they cause the same suffering and can have serious physical complications. Weight is never the criterion for asking for help.

### Do eating disorders only affect young women?

No. They appear most often in adolescence, but they can start at any age, and a substantial share of those affected are men, in whom the concern usually centres on muscle. Stereotypes mean that men and older adults take longer to receive help.

### How long does the test take and is it free?

It has 14 questions and takes about four minutes. It is completely free, anonymous and requires no registration; the result appears immediately on your screen.

### Can eating disorders be cured?

Yes, recovery is possible. With specialist treatment, such as enhanced cognitive behavioural therapy or family-based treatment for teenagers, most people improve clearly and many recover fully, especially if help arrives early. Relapses can be part of the process and do not mean failure.

### What should I do if I think a relative or friend has an eating disorder?

Talk to them privately, calmly and without focusing on weight or food: express your concern about how they are feeling. Avoid policing their plate or commenting on their body, and offer to go with them to a first appointment. If there is fainting, frequent vomiting or thoughts of self-harm, seek medical help without delay.

### Do you store my answers?

No. The test is scored on your own device and we neither send nor store any answers, nor do we ask for data such as your weight or age. If you want to keep your result, take a screenshot.

## We recommend talking to a psychologist

Xènia Capel Salcedo — Licensed clinical psychologist · COPC no. 14982. Online and in-person therapy (Igualada and Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, Spain). Master's in Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy. Evidence-based integrative approach: EMDR, eating disorders, ADHD, autism, anxiety and depression. Free, no-obligation first consultation call. https://psicologaigualada.es/en/therapist-psychologist-igualada/

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*This test is an indicative screening tool. It does not replace a clinical assessment and is not a diagnosis. If you have concerns about your mental health, consult a licensed professional.*