Shy Eating: I'll Pass, Thanks
Experts say "Scarlett O'Hara syndrome" could lead to more serious issues.
Sept. 22, 2007 — -- Something many people take great joy in, going to dinner with friends, induces an incredible fear in others.
It's been called "shy eating," a fear of eating in public, and increasingly, doctors think it can serve as a warning sign of more serious eating disorders.
Leslie Lipton said during her teen years it wasn't boys or public speaking that made her self conscious -- it was food.
"It's this panic, this tightness that would come over my chest I didn't know what to do with myself," Lipton said. "I just assumed that no matter what I put in front of me people were going to be watching me and judging me."
Lipton believes it was an early warning sign of a far worse problem. At 14, her fear of food transitioned into anorexia, and she dropped below 100 pounds.
"It can be a sign of future things -- more so because it speaks of such an anxiety of one's self and a self consciousness," Lipton said. "That's the link between the shy eating and the eating disorder."
Eating disorder specialist Dr. Renee Zweig said it's a real problem among young girls that often falls through the cracks.
"Parents often don't have a clue in the very beginning that there is some form of a precursor to an eating disorder going on, because the restriction is happening outside of the home with peers," Zweig said.
"What parents will see," Zweig added, "is that girls will start to get more obsessive about their bodies."
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