- Bulimia nervosa: symptoms and treatment
- Treatment of bulimia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa - is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of excessive hunger and defoliation, after which the person is trying to "cleanse" the body one way or another (usually by vomiting, laxatives, diuretics, exercise). Typically, bulimia nervosa in young girls and women concerned about their own weight.
Bulimia is more common than anorexia
Anorexia nervosa - symptoms and effects on the body
. But it is much more difficult to recognize. If anorexics often lose weight to such an extent that they can not hide their disease from others, the majority suffering from bulimia normal volume of the body and normal weight. Therefore, they can keep his illness a secret for many years, none of it is not telling, perhaps only one or two family members or very close friend.
Risk groups and the most common signs
In the main risk group includes young women from 13 to 35 years. The highest peak of development and clinical manifestations of the disease accounts for 15-16 years, 22-25 years, 27-28 years. In addition, a growing number of people of both sexes with a variety of mild forms of the disorder, they are on the border of the danger of symptomatic bulimia nervosa.
Most bulimic can not break the cycle of binge eating and liberation from eating. A feeling of fullness disappears, disappears and the control over the amount of food eaten - the beginning is, people can not stop. But, regardless of the amount eaten, reproaches himself that he should not have done that. Realizing that was happening to him that something was wrong, bulimik absorbing another portion, he consoles himself with the fact that on Monday he will start a new life. However, this Monday never comes. The result is a sense of panic and the inability to control himself.
"Start-binge", such a person prefers sweets and other high-calorie foods that lead to fullness. Often the desire to eat is a response to depression, self-blame, diligent diet or just boredom.
These binges lead to desperate attempts to get rid of eaten and prevent weight gain. To rid the body of unwanted food, use different cleaning procedures. Most often artificially induce vomiting or resorting to laxatives and diuretics, enemas. However, few of them knows that cleaning procedures usually are not a reliable means of reducing or maintaining weight. Weight reduction, for example, after receiving laxatives mainly due to loss of fluid, but not fat, which negatively affects the whole body. Other cleaning procedures are also not safe and can lead to serious health consequences and even death.
All thoughts of a person suffering from bulimia
Bulimia - how to deal with an invisible enemy?
We focused on food; he can not concentrate on work, school, family and personal life. He eats up until not feel pain in the stomach
Pain in the stomach when the body asks for help
After which can cause vomiting and start all over again. All this is accompanied by feelings of guilt, depression, low self-esteem.
Many - like themselves dependent, and their close relatives - believed that this disease is related to the will, you just pull yourself together, and bulimia retreat. The stronger their incomprehension, anger and resentment for what it does not, and vice versa - every day repeats the same pattern.
Causes of bulimia nervosa
The exact cause of bulimia nervosa is not clarified, but noted that the disease is more frequent in girls and young women concerned about their own weight. Often, patients bulimia nervosa place high demands on their appearance, thinness is considered the key to success in society, are suffering from low self-esteem.
Typically, bulimia nervosa begins with misconceptions about that body weight control is very easy and can be easily reduced. Patients with bulimia nervosa are in error (usually as a result of peer pressure) that they can eat anything you want and in any quantity and at the same time or per gram not recover. At the heart of bulimia lie deep psychological wounds, deep and constantly disturbing experience. Attempts to bind their lives to food (non-food) - an attempt to cope with life, which is becoming less subservient to man.
Signs and symptoms
Typically, bulimia nervosa patients hide from others the symptoms of the disease. Careful attention to these people helps relatives and friends to recognize the disease and to insist on consulting a doctor and treatment. Here are the main symptoms of bulimia:
- Compulsive overeating;
- Overwhelming demand for certain products;
- Fluctuations in body weight;
- Induced vomiting, abuse of laxatives and diuretics;
- Emotional changes, depression or social withdrawal;
- Swollen glands under the jaw or dental disease, caused by frequent vomiting;
- Frequent visits to the toilet room;
- Night feast alone;
- Excessive exercise, especially exercises for the cardiovascular system more frequently than 5 times a week;
- Discoloration or destruction of tooth enamel;
- Rupture of blood vessels in the eyes;
- Brittle hair and nails; dry and unhealthy skin color;
- Stomach pain;
- Voluntary renunciation of the favorite activities and friends;
- Preoccupation with their own weight, weight loss, diet and everything connected with it;
- Symptoms of depression
Depression - a little more than a bad mood
.
The consequences of bulimia are very dangerous and pose a threat not only to health but for life. Here are some of them:
- Violation elektrolicheskogo balance;
- Inflammation of the esophagus;
- Various diseases of the teeth and gums;
- Chronic intestinal motility due to the breach of the abuse of laxatives;
- Constant feeling of shame and guilt;
- Depression;
- Low self-esteem;
- Inferiority in family and social relations.
By the way, bulimia does not imply rejection of the food, its manifestations and consequences are not obvious, so it is so difficult to diagnose (usually weight bulimic patients is consistent with normal or slightly exceed it).