This is the phrase that describes the eating disorder known as bulimia. One of the most famous bulimics was Princess Diana. Bulimia is often the response to stress and depression. Bulimics derive comfort from food. When such people feel low or angry for some reason, food is their 'pick-me-up.' They gorge themselves, preferably on high-calorie junk food. This gives them a 'high' helping them to forget their troubles for a little while.
Bulimics tend to be closet eaters. They gormandize secretly and then feel ashamed of their gluttony. They then induce themselves to vomit or take laxatives to purge themselves of the feeling of guilt. They have no control over their eating so they treat the effect rather than the cause by vomiting or taking laxatives. After a point bulimics can derive pleasure from the act of vomiting itself.
The pattern of binge and purge can result in ulcers, gastric and dental problems, acute disturbances in the chemical balances of the blood which could lead to heart attacks, sore throats, aching joints, and feelings of weakness, dizziness and apathy.
What are the causes of bulimia?
A lot of factors can be responsible for bulimia nervosa but the exact cause cannot be determined. Emotional, hereditary, cultural and environmental factors play a very important role in development of this disorder. Let us take a look at some of the common causes of bulimia.
- Lack of self esteem
- Stress and pressure due to drastic changes in life
- Violence
- Traumatic situations
- Poor body image
- Too much of attention paid to the appearance due to professional requirement mainly for fashion and entertainment industry
- Influence of media
What are the common symptoms of bulimia?
Here are some of the common symptoms of Bulimia.
- Excessive consumption of food
- Using toilet frequently
- Focusing too much on appearance and weight loss
- Frequent fluctuations in weight
- Lack of control on eating
- Constant fear of gaining weight
- Over exercising
- Misuse of weight loss products
What complications can be caused due to bulimia?
Anxiety, depression and suicidal tendencies are the primary psychological problems that can be caused due to bulimia. These problems are developed as a result of poor self image. The eating disorder like bulimia can cause serious repercussions on health. It can cause serious problems like kidney failure and heart problems like heart failure. In absence of timely intervention and right management, the problem like bulimia can even cause death.
Apart from the severe problems, bulimia can also cause problems like dehydration, infertility, digestive problems, delayed or irregular menstruation in females. Psychological problems may also give rise to alcohol and drug abuse in the patient.
How is bulimia treated?
The treatment of bulimia primarily focuses on restoring good eating habits and curbing the binge-purge cycle. Another important aspect of treating bulimia is to help the patient erase the thoughts of negative body image. The patient should be made to understand the importance of having a healthy body. He or she must be encouraged to respect his or her body.
The treatment also focuses on helping the patient deal with the emotional issues that may have given rise to this eating disorder. The treatment may involve helping patient to resolve interpersonal problems and other behaviour therapies.
Bulimia can become life threatening. Therefore, early intervention and right management of this disorder is extremely important. So, if you or your loved one is coping with bulimia, you must seek help of your doctor without delaying further. Your doctor or your healthcare provider can help you get right treatment and recover faster from this health issue.
