Shy Eating: I'll Pass, Thanks

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."

Some experts say the stereotypes about beauty and eating in public go back to the early 1900's.

It's even been called the "The Scarlett O'Hara syndrome." In one scene of the legendary movie "Gone With The Wind," lead character Scarlett O'Hara is told to eat before a party, so as to "uphold her reputation," and not be seen eating in public.

Lipton said after going through her experience and seeing how society perceives eating and weight, inspired her to write a book.

"It's the notion that in order to be sexy a lady has to be thin," she said. "And all the actresses you see are thin. Young girls see that and think the only way they're going to be successful in life is to be thin."

But after years of therapy, Lipton finally understands that for her eating is the key to happiness.

Are you or someone you love struggling with an eating disorder? To find out how to identify and see how to seek treatment, here are several helpful resources:

National Institute of Mental Health: www.nimh.nih.gov

National Eating Disorders Association: www.edap.org

MayoClinic.com:www.mayoclinic.com

National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders: www.anad.org

ABC News' Andrea Canning contributed to this report.