Bulimia Treatment: Advice And Options
by
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Bulimia is an eating disorder compels people to binge on food and then purge through self-induced vomiting, diuretics or laxative abuse, or excessive exercise. People with bulimia tend to feel guilty and disgusted about food and fat. Even though most people with bulimia begin at normal weights, they think of themselves as fat. Roughly 90 percent of the people with bulimia are women, and the disorder usually begins a few years after puberty. Genetics, social pressures, and emotional problems like depression, low self-esteem, and extreme perfectionism contribute to bulimia's development.
Without bulimia treatment, people with bulimia become dehydrated and malnourished. This causes mineral and vitamin deficiencies, resulting in dry skin, nails, and hair. Many people with bulimia are constipated from laxative abuse. Constant vomiting brings up stomach acid that irritates the throat and mouth. Many people with bulimia have heartburn, gum infections, swollen salivary glands, and cavities from the acid eroding tooth enamel. Without treatment, some of side effects, like kidney failure, can become fatal. Dehydration can lower the body's electrolyte levels, causing heart problems or even death. About 10 percent of people with bulimia will die from it.
Bulimia, however, is completely treatable. The sooner a person begins bulimia treatment, the sooner the recovery. Successful recovery depends on the work of psychiatrists, doctors, dieticians, and the patient. Psychiatrists work with the patient to break the binge-and-purge cycles and to educate the patient about what she is doing to her body and mind. The psychiatrist and patient must identify the triggers of a binging-and-purging episode, as well as help the patient cope with an unhealthy body image. The patient must learn to communicate openly and must increase his or her self-esteem. Doctors work with the patient to treat the effects of bulimia's dehydration and malnutrition on the body. A dietician helps the patient develop healthy eating habits.
Group therapy and support groups are also helpful for people recovering from bulimia. Information about many support groups can be found online.
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Eating Disorders Additional Eating Disorders Articles
Main Causes of Bulimia Bulimia may be caused by a genetic component. Certain genes may predispose a person to developing bulimia. Bulimia appears to run in families -- people with relatives suffering from bulimia have a higher frequency of developing bulimia. This may, however, have more to do with family influences and role models than genetics
The Link Between Anorexia and Bulimia Young women and men sometimes starve themselves. It doesn't matter how thin they may be -- in their internal mirror, they are fat. Or they may so afraid of gaining weight, yet so desperately hungry, that they eat and eat until they feel so guilty that they must vomit up all the food.
The Effects of Bulimia One of the most marked effects of bulimia is on the teeth and mouth. Frequent vomiting brings up stomach acid into the mouth, eroding teeth's enamel. Cavities and gum infections are common in people with bulimia.
The Bulimia Recovery Process Support groups for Bulimia have become a crucial step in bulimia recovery. Local support groups can be found online, in the phonebook, or through a mental health professional, such as a school counselor or psychiatrist.
What are the Symptoms of Bulimia? Bulimia is identified by two characteristic behaviors: bingeing and purging. The person with bulimia then purges him or herself by inducing vomiting, excessively exercising, or by using laxatives.
