Bulimia Nervosa

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Causes and symptoms of bulimia nervosa

What is bulimia nervosa?

Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder. It manifests itself as bouts of severe hunger, uncontrolled overeating and a lack of satiety. Bulimia nervosa is characterized by periodic fluctuations in weight. Attacks of binge eating usually alternate with attempts to "cleanse" oneself: a person drinks a laxative, induces vomiting, tries to starve or exhaust himself with excessive physical exertion. The main task of a person is to get rid of excess weight. At the same time, it is not possible to fight attacks of hunger using normal methods.

Bulimia is difficult to recognize. Of course, half of bulimics are obese as a result of overeating, but the other half are of normal weight, and the disease tries to keep it secret from their surroundings.

Mostly young women are ill, because it is for them that body weight is an extremely important criterion. The disease has three age peaks: 15-16 years old, 22-25 years old and 27-28 years old.

Bulimia is an extremely painful condition. A person, eating even a large amount of food, cannot overcome the feeling of hunger. But after overeating, conscience reproaches begin for inappropriate behavior and calories eaten. As a result, the person tries to get rid of food, causing vomiting. The disease tends to progress, so overeating can become completely uncontrollable, and irreversible changes will occur in a person's personality.

Causes of bulimia nervosa

Low self-esteem, psychological trauma, stress, depression, or a constant fear of gaining extra pounds are usually the causes of bulimia nervosa. Bulimia occurs because the easiest way for a person to relieve stress is through food, because it is one of the simplest pleasures. Bulimia may have masochistic, obsessive, demonstrative roots, or it may be due to a desire to be sexually attractive.

Symptoms of bulimia nervosa

Of course, the main symptom of bulimia is uncontrollable hunger, which cannot be satisfied with the usual amount of food. A person eats everything until the attack of bulimia is over, after which he is usually tormented by his conscience and he tries to get rid of the food eaten artificially (by inducing vomiting, taking laxatives).

Bulimia nervosa also presents with behavioral changes. A sick person becomes withdrawn, unsociable, depressed. Only during the meal does his mood improve.

Uncontrolled bouts of gluttony and the inability to limit oneself in food cause depression and neuroses. The person loses efficiency.

Due to the rapid absorption of food, throat diseases (pharyngitis, tonsillitis) may develop. Tooth enamel is also damaged, destroyed by stomach acid. Due to improper nutrition, human skin suffers.

Of course, the organs of the digestive system, heart, blood vessels are primarily at risk. And, most importantly, the psyche suffers. As the disease progresses, it changes a person beyond recognition.

Thus, bulimia nervosa causes many dangerous consequences: menstrual irregularities in women, impaired intestinal motility, constipation, diseases of the pancreas, kidneys, endocrine system diseases and metabolic disorders. Sometimes bulimia causes stomach bleeding.

Treating bulimia nervosa

Treatment for bulimia nervosa should consist primarily of psychotherapy. A sick person needs the help of a doctor who will help to understand the problem and accept himself as the person really is. Medical treatment consists of taking antidepressants. It is also imperative to stick to a diet, exercise and try to avoid possible stress that causes hunger.

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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