Do you rarely feel like eating?

When food stops being noticed

Kornii has lost the feeling of hunger itself, Nelia is held back by nausea, and Pylyp simply does not notice his food behind the news. The section “What dampens the desire to eat?” explains why these situations need different questions.

If at least one of these stories resembles yours, note what happens when you sit down to eat. If none of them fits, the questions in the section “No hunger, or does something stop you eating?” can help you work it out.

What dampens the desire to eat?

Appetite can drop because of stress, mood, infection, pain, nausea, medicines and other physical causes. Having no hunger, as with Kornii in our example, and being unable to eat because of unpleasant sensations, as with Nelia, need different questions. So tell the doctor whether the amount you eat and your weight have changed.

If low mood and loss of interest in life persist along with loss of appetite, a doctor may also assess for depression. Loss of appetite on its own does not yet mean that you have this disorder.

Seeing a doctor about loss of appetite: who and in what order

For new or persistent physical symptoms, start with a family doctor. Further investigations depend on your symptoms and examination, not a standard checklist. If mood or anxiety also trouble you along with the loss of appetite, you can discuss this with a psychiatrist.

If you need a psychiatric consultation, the initial psychiatric consultation page explains how it is organised. The specialists’ areas of work are collected on the clinic’s doctors page.

No hunger, or does something stop you eating?

Loss of appetite is a noticeable drop in the desire to eat or in interest in food. Think about the last few days and answer these questions:

• How long ago did your appetite drop: gradually or suddenly?
• How much less do you eat than usual?
• Has your weight changed, and how quickly?
• Do you have nausea, abdominal pain, bowel changes, difficulty swallowing or other physical symptoms?
• Do you have low mood, anxiety, loss of interest, apathy or a sense of hopelessness?
• Is it the enjoyment of food that has dropped, or the feeling of hunger itself that is missing?

If you have almost stopped eating or drinking, or are losing weight quickly, go straight to the first point of the section “Appetite gone: what not to miss”.

Loss of appetite alongside other changes

Loss of appetite is often linked to other changes. Compare which is closer to your experience.

• Weight loss. Your weight is going down without your intending it, and this on its own needs assessment. See the page on weight loss.
• Increased appetite. On the contrary, you want to eat more often and more strongly than before. Compare with the description of increased appetite.
• Loss of interest. Food has stopped bringing pleasure, just like other familiar activities. See the page on loss of interest in usual activities.
• Depressed mood. Appetite has gone along with sadness and tiredness. The page on depressed mood looks at what this is like.

These changes often occur together, and one of them on its own decides nothing.

Manageable eating and enough to drink

With a moderate drop in appetite and none of the warning signs from the section “Appetite gone: what not to miss”, it helps to try:

• Small portions. Eating a little several times a day can be easier than eating a large amount at once.
• A familiar routine. Choose familiar foods that are easy to tolerate, and do not skip meals just because you do not feel very hungry. Pylyp in our example could at least put his phone away during lunch.
• Simpler cooking. If cooking has become too hard because of tiredness or low mood, simplify meals for a while and use options that need little effort.
• Drinking. Make sure you drink enough, even if you do not want to eat.

If your appetite dropped after starting a medicine, do not stop it on your own – discuss it with the doctor who prescribed it.

Appetite gone: what not to miss

1. If a person has practically stopped eating or drinking, is losing weight quickly or cannot keep up adequate nutrition, it is better not to put off medical help.
2. If marked weakness, dehydration, persistent nausea or vomiting, pain, difficulty swallowing, blood in the stool or other marked physical symptoms appear at the same time, a medical assessment is especially important.
3. If loss of appetite lasts several weeks, gets worse or comes with noticeable weight loss, see a doctor.
4. If reduced appetite comes with persistent low mood, loss of interest, apathy or other noticeable changes in your mental state, see a mental health professional.
5. If your appetite is moderately reduced and you know why, start with the steps in the section “Manageable eating and enough to drink”.