Eating Disorder Help

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Author:
Michael Russell

The German translation for bulimia is "Fresssucht", literally meaning "addiction to eating". Like all addictions, it has a devastating effect on the mind and body and needs to be managed through proper treatment.

Though experts disagree on the statistics, it estimated that between 8% and 10% of the US population suffers from bulimia. 90% to 95% of these are women of all ages. 10% of the affected will die.

It's not always easy to recognize if a person has bulimia. Unlike anorexics, bulimics are not always extremely thin. They don't avoid food, but rather enjoy it. It's the part of getting rid of a meal that makes this a devastating and possibly fatal disease.

The most commonly known sign of bulimia is to induce vomiting following a meal. This can be after a regular meal or binge eating (eating a very large amount of food in one sitting). A binge-eating episode is usually triggered by stress or depression and can happen a few times a week. During the episode, the affected person will lose control over herself and her food consumption, then experiences a moment of calmness. For them, "comfort food" literally means that. It's the emotion that follows next that pushes the person to purge, guilt and self-loathing.

Purging implies getting rid of the intake of food, very often by inducing vomiting, but also by excessive use of laxatives, enemas and/or diuretics. By these methods, bulimics try to get rid of the calories. Others symptoms of bulimia can be excessive exercising, strict dieting and occasionally, fasting.

Since there usually are no physical signs (at least in the beginning), it can be very hard to see if a person has bulimia. But there are quite a few warning signs in bulimic's behavior that can give them away. They will very often go to the bathroom right after a meal (to purge). In order to cover the sound of their vomiting, they might leave the water running while in the bathroom. They might smell of vomit and will eat a lot of mints to cover up the smell and will be very adamant about privacy in the bathroom or in their bedrooms. The person is obsessed with her weight and will exercise at any cost, even if she's sick or injured. A bulimic has a poor body image, so she might try to cover herself up with baggy clothes. In women, the menstrual cycle will stop. Swelling of the salivary glands will lead to swollen cheeks.

If left untreated, bulimia will take its toll on the body and on the mind. Some noticeable results are sore gums and bad teeth due to the stomach acid brought up during vomiting. Problems that can turn deadly are stomach ulcers and perforations, intestinal perforations, tearing of the esophagus and an imbalance of the body's natural minerals and electrolytes, leading to heart failure.

Since bulimia itself is not a physical disorder but mental one, it must be treated as one. Sessions with a psychologist to unravel the reasons and causes behind the poor self-image can be helpful. There are also many treatment centres available that deal specifically with eating disorders. Sometime sharing feelings and experiences with others affected by bulimia or other eating disorders will help. In extreme cases, where the bulimic's weight is dangerously low or he is dehydrated, hospitalisation will be necessary, BUT will have no long term effect if not accompanied or followed up by therapy.

Nowadays, there are an infinite amount of support sources available, be it school counsellors or online sites. The first step is up to the bulimic, admitting he has a problem and accepting treatment options.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Eating Disorders

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Eating Disorders... Binge Eating - Men Also At Risk Binge Eating Disorder affects just about as many men as it does women, even though the stereotype is that eating disorders are thought to be a women’s disorder. This stereotype is incorrect. There are 25 million people that struggle daily with Binge Eating Disorder. Out of that 25 million, you may be surprised to know that 40% are men. According to Wikipedia.com, this means that three women for every two men suffer from Binge Eating Disorder. There are different reasons as to why men develop Binge Eating Disorder. One cause is if they play or played sports sometime in their life that required them to be thin or to lose a lot of weight for a particular competition, such as a wrestling match or running. Football players and body builders are still at risk, but it is lower since these sports require some meat and muscles in order to be successful. Another reason is that the chosen profession calls for thinness, such as modeling and acting. Men feel a pressure, just as women do, to maintain a level of thinness when they are in the public eye and when they are in looked at. A man is more at risk for developing Binge Eating Disorder at a older age than a woman does, especially if the man had a tendency to be overweight at a child. This is because growing up a man believes that he needs to be strong and be able to protect not only himself, but also a female. If he is thin, this translates to fragile and he will see himself as not being powerful and not being able to get the things that he wants in life because he is considered weak. Treatment for men is the same as women; although, men are more reluctant to visit a professional since eating disorders are considered to be female difficulties. The professional will go into detail to find out why the man comforts...