subject: Eating Disorders 1: Bulimia Nervosa [print this page] One of the most unpleasant -- and dangerous -- ways of weight reduction is by expelling food from your stomach after it has been swallowed -- otherwise known as Bulimia Nervosa.
When you have Bulimia Nervosa, it's common to live in a world of secret shame and self-disgust. But you may feel trapped by this addiction-like relationship with food.
Bulimia is a type of eating disorder in which you're preoccupied with your weight and body shape, often judging yourself severely and harshly for perceived flaws. With bulimia, you engage in episodes of bingeing and purging, where you eat a large amount of food and then try to rid yourself of the extra calories by such unhealthy ways as self-induced vomiting or excessive exercise.
Bulimia is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder. Because it's so intimately related to self-image -- and not just about food -- bulimia can be difficult to overcome. But effective bulimia treatment can help you feel better about yourself, adopt healthier eating patterns and reverse serious complications.
Symptoms
When you have bulimia, you regularly engage in episodes of binge eating followed by attempts to prevent weight gain. A binge is considered eating a larger amount of food than most people would eat under similar situations.
For instance, when you have bulimia, you may eat an entire cake, rather than just a slice or two. And you may continue eating until you are painfully full, which is inevitably followed by some method of purging. Sometimes people with bulimia feel a need to purge after eating only a small snack or a normal-size meal.
Bulimia is categorized in two ways:
1) Purging bulimia. You regularly engage in self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics or enemas to compensate for binges.
2) Non-purging bulimia. You use other methods to rid yourself of calories and prevent weight gain, such as fasting or over-exercising, which is sometimes called exercise bulimia.
The line between the two types of bulimia often blurs or overlaps. In fact, the attempt to rid yourself of extra calories is usually referred to as purging, no matter what the method. And in either type, signs and symptoms are similar.
When to seek medical advice
If you have any bulimia symptoms, seek medical help as soon as possible. Bulimia usually doesn't get better on its own. It may even get worse if left untreated and take over your life.
When you have bulimia, your life may revolve around food and eating. You may fantasize about food and be preoccupied with cravings for "forbidden" food. You may plan binge-purge episodes or the desire may seem to strike out of nowhere, perhaps triggered by stress, dieting, feelings about weight or body shape, and eating what simply starts as a normal meal with friends. In any case, bulimia is running the show, not you. Bulimia, along with the complications it causes, can rob you of the ability to enjoy life to its fullest.
If you have a primary care doctor, talk to him or her about your bulimia symptoms and feelings. Or seek help directly from a mental health provider. If you're reluctant to seek treatment, try to work up the courage to confide in someone about what you're going through, whether it's a friend or loved one, a health care professional, a teacher, a faith leader, or someone else you trust. They can help you take the first steps to successful bulimia treatment.
Helping a loved one with bulimia symptoms
If you have a loved one you think may have symptoms of bulimia, have an open and honest discussion about your concerns. You may not be able to force someone to seek professional care, but you can offer encouragement and support. You can also help your loved one find a qualified doctor or mental health provider and make an appointment. You may even be able to go to an appointment with him or her.
Coping and support
You may find it difficult to cope with bulimia when you're hit with mixed messages by the media, culture, and perhaps your own friends or peers. You may even have heard people joke that they wish they could throw up after overeating -- as if it were that simple. Remind yourself what a healthy weight is for your body, especially at times when you see images that may trigger your desire to binge and purge.
