Understanding Bulimia Nervosa
Information on the Binge/Purge Cycle and How to Spot the Symptoms
Bulimia is less understood than the more commonly discussed illness, anorexia nervosa. Learn how the disease develops and how to spot the signs that someone is suffering
Bulimia Nervosa, often referred to as bulimia or ‘mia’, is a serious and worryingly common eating disorder, affecting over two million adolescent girls and young women in the United States alone. Surprisingly, females are not the only ones to be susceptible to bulimia. In America, about 10% of the individuals diagnosed with bulimia are male.
Sufferers find themselves trapped in a destructive cycle of extreme dieting, binging and vomiting, sometimes labelled ‘purging’. Some bulimics also use laxatives, diuretics and intense exercising to achieve the same effect.
How It All Begins
A number of distressing or disturbing life events can trigger bulimia. These triggers can range from going through a painful divorce to being made redundant. Pressure to be thin from friends and the media can also have a negative impact on the body image of individuals of all ages and can lead to an abnormal obsession with the body and food. In addition to this, research has shown that bulimia can be hereditary, passed down through the family.
Bulimia usually starts with the decision to go on a strict, calorie controlled diet. The dieter will abstain from food, thinking that this will help her lose weight. However, the body is not designed to accept starvation and food cravings soon kick in. The dieter will not be able to think of anything but food and eating. At some point, the dieter’s resolve crumbles and he or she gives into the cravings. They are often unable to control themselves, due to their intense hunger, and they will devour an enormous amount of, often unhealthy, food.
After the binge, the individual feels overwhelmed with guilt and terrified of the calories that she has consumed. In some cases, this guilt will be awful enough to drive her to the bathroom to be sick. Sadly, bulimia is an incredibly addictive condition and even purging once can be enough for an individual to become trapped in the cycle.
The typical bulimic will vow never to purge again each and every time she does it. Unfortunately, the fear of getting heavier will always lead to more extreme dieting which, inevitably, leads to more bingeing episodes and more purging. They live in a world of contradictions, berating themselves for vomiting but also relieved at getting the much hated food out of their body
The bulimia habit often snowballs at an astonishing rate. It can also prove a very difficult companion to get rid of. Many individuals suffer from bulimia for years before facing up to it. Many other people never overcome it.
Spotting the Signs
Unlike anorexia nervosa, which can be spotted as a result of the massive weight loss and obvious abstaining from food, bulimia can be very difficult to pinpoint. Bulimics often become very skilled at covering up their disease. They will run the bath or the tap while they are vomiting to cover up any noise and will remain apparently enthusiastic about food. On top of this is the fact that many bulimics often don’t change much physically. Some sufferers may even put on weight, due to the fact that vomiting and other types of purging are very inefficient ways of removing calories. However, there are a number of signs that individuals can watch out for should they be concerned about a friend or member of the family:
- Swinging between eating large amounts of food and skimping and meals
- Abrupt changes in mood and depression
- Red and grazed knuckles
- The smell of toothpaste at odd times of the day, from the sufferer cleaning her teeth after purging
- Bloodshot eyes
- Swollen cheeks and glands
- Unusual dental problems
The Road to Recovery
It takes an immense amount of courage to make the decision to stop being bulimic and recovery can be incredibly difficult and stressful. However, with enough willpower and support, the cycle can be broken. There are a number of things that friends or family members can do to help if they suspect that someone close to them is suffering from bulimia. This can include encouraging them to seek medical assistance but also consists of simply being there for them when they need somebody to confide in.
Bulimia is still a difficult subject to broach and is not discussed as regularly or as openly as it should be. However, progress is slowly being made and bulimia is becoming less and less of a controversial topic with each book or article that is published.
Read this article on overcoming bulimia to learn about some of the things that can help sufferers through their battles with bulimia. There are also several books available, such as "Learning to Be Me" by Jocelyn Golden and "Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia" by Marya Hornbacher, which explain the disease from a sufferer's point of view. These personal memoirs can be very inspiring and will help people, whether they are bulimic or not, to understand the intricacies of this disease and what can be done to achieve a full recovery.
