2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43
Bulimia
Causes and symptoms of bulimia
What is Bulimia?
Bulimia is a psychopathological syndrome characterized by an increase in hunger and low satiety: a sick person cannot feel full, even eating a large amount of food, so the feeling of hunger becomes constant for him. Typically, this form occurs due to damage to receptors located in the hypothalamus. It is these receptors that send a signal to the brain that a sufficient amount of carbohydrates has accumulated in the blood - this is the feeling of satiety. When the functioning of receptors is disrupted for any reason, a person constantly feels hungry.
Another form of bulimia is associated with low blood sugar levels. But it is characterized by the fact that a person who suddenly feels severe hunger can satisfy him by taking the first portion of food.
Psychologists classify bulimia as ostentatious, masochistic, obsessive, and sex-attractive.
Bulimia causes
Bulimia has three groups of causes, including organic, social and psychogenic.
The organic causes of bulimia include various metabolic pathologies, diabetes mellitus, tumor or toxic brain lesions that affect the hypothalamic region. Genetic factors also affect the disease: some congenital diseases can affect the structure of the brain.
Social reasons include the attitude of the society in which a person lives to body weight. For example, in countries where weight is a significant criterion for assessing a person, the number of bulimics increases. If a woman constantly adheres to a strict diet, fearing to gain extra pounds, she thereby increases the risk of developing bulimia, because the constant fear of getting better causes stress, which is most easily relieved by food.
The psychogenic group of causes includes various psychological trauma or depression, which is most easily removed by simple pleasure - food. A psychogenic cause can be low self-esteem, a negative attitude towards life, etc. Often people with bulimia, fearing obesity, artificially induce vomiting after eating.
Bulimia symptoms
The main symptom of bulimia is constant hunger. A person is very attracted to food, and he cannot overcome this feeling. Consuming large amounts of food, he does not feel full. Bulimic patients are predominantly depressed. Their mood rises exclusively with food, and if they are deprived of the opportunity to eat, they can become depressed, irritable, and their mental capabilities and performance are reduced.
Being overweight is another common symptom of bulimia. But this does not apply to all bulimics: the constant fear of gaining excess weight can make them starve, artificially induce vomiting, take laxatives, or exercise hard. Thus, another characteristic symptom of bulimia can be distinguished - a special behavioral model.
Bulimia, like any other disease, has its own stages. Usually, the initial stage is characterized by rare uncontrolled bouts of cravings for food. There are no more than one or two episodes per month when the disease makes itself felt. But bulimia can also become chronic.
As a result, the organs of the gastrointestinal tract, heart, blood vessels and, most importantly, the psyche suffer. The person becomes emotionally unstable, anxious, hysterical and insecure, which only aggravates the disease.
Bulimia causes depression, obesity and can become one of the main symptoms of anorexia.
Bulimia treatment
Treatment of bulimia consists of psychotherapeutic measures (both individual and group), diet and the use of special medications. The latter include antidepressants, because bulimia is often combined with depression. Also, the treatment of bulimia includes symptomatic therapy: the patient is prescribed drugs that improve the functioning of the digestive or cardiovascular system.
To avoid bulimia, you need to try to maintain a sense of normal self-esteem, and noticing any changes in appetite, you should follow a balanced diet, make an appointment with a psychologist and diversify your leisure time in every possible way.
Article author: Mochalov Pavel Alexandrovich | d. m. n. therapist
Education: Moscow Medical Institute. IM Sechenov, specialty - "General Medicine" in 1991, in 1993 "Occupational Diseases", in 1996 "Therapy".
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