Bulimia
Bulimia is a type of eating disorder in which the person is preoccupied with fears of gaining weight and intense dissatisfaction with their body shape.
- A person with bulimia is highly self-critical and often judges herself/himself harshly for what she/he perceives as shortcomings or faults.
- The people who are battling bulimia do NOT choose to engage in these behaviors. They have a medical condition that leads them to be highly self-critical and self-deprecating, and to perceive themselves as full of faults and failures.
The person with bulimia engages in episodes of bingeing during which she/he eats a large amount of food and then tries to rid herself/himself of the extra calories by self-induced vomiting or excessive exercise, excessive use of laxatives or diuretics, or a combination of these behaviors.
- Binges often occur in private because it is often accompanied by intense feelings of disgust and shame.
- A person may eat anything available when home, or may visit fast-food restaurants, secretly eating in the car.
- After the binge episode, the person may feel extremely ashamed or disgusted and may have increased fears of gaining weight. Then, the purging begins. This may mean heading to the bathroom to vomit or working on the treadmill for hours of exercise.
- The binge-eating and purging cycle happens anywhere from several times a week to many times a day.
Most experts agree that bulimia is not just about food but also about self-image, it can be difficult to overcome. The aim of treatment is to help the person develop a more realistic view of herself/himself, to feel better about herself/himself, to adopt healthier eating patterns and to reverse serious complications.
Many, but not all people with bulimia nervosa also have anorexia nervosa. Some people call the combination bulimarexia. The two disorders can actually perpetuate each other in a dangerous and vicious cycle; a person may restrict their calories all day, which leads to physiological changes in the body that drive a powerful urge to binge. The bingeing then leads to intense feelings of shame, guilt, or failure, as well as fears about gaining weight. This leads to purging immediately following the binge, and reinforces efforts to restrict.
Bulimia is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder.
Because most people with bulimia are of normal weight or even slightly overweight, it may not be readily apparent that something is wrong.
Other symptoms include:
- Chronically inflamed and sore throat
- Swollen salivary glands in the neck and jaw area
- Worn tooth enamel, increasingly sensitive and decaying teeth as a result of exposure to stomach acid
- Acid reflux disorder and other gastrointestinal problems
- Intestinal distress and irritation from laxative abuse
- Severe dehydration from purging of fluids
- Electrolyte imbalance (too low or too high levels of sodium, calcium, potassium and other minerals) which can lead to heart attack.
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