Eating Disorder Help

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Author:
Michael Russell

Bulimia Nervosa is an eating disorder caused by a person's feelings of low self-esteem, worthlessness and depression. They view themselves as being fat and overweight, which causes them to resort to bizarre eating habits in order to lose weight.

The bulimic will binge eat and then purge. This habit after awhile becomes addictive and they fall into a pattern of bingeing as a way to cope with their negative feelings about themselves. The bulimic binge consists of a large amount of food intake with a high calorie count, usually eaten in private away from other people. They will eat sweets and foods high in fat.

Although some binges are planned, most are spur-of-the-moment, being triggered by an emotional outburst of a happening in their live that sinks them into a depression. They use food as a comfort, stuffing themselves and then vomiting. This practice can happen several times a day.

The eating binge tends to have a numbing effect on their feelings, with a feeling of anger toward themselves shortly afterward. They are ashamed of their actions and realize they have lost control, which further contributes to their feelings of low self-esteem. This feeling of shame causes them to be reluctant to admit their problem to anyone and to seek help for their condition.

The self-induced vomiting is done to compensate for their binges. They are relieved of the full feeling from eating too much food and expect the vomiting to prevent any weight gain from the binge.

They also use laxatives, enemas, diet pills, fasts and extreme exercise in order to prevent weight gain. In some cases they will chew their food and then spit it out without swallowing it, thinking this will prevent any weight gain.

Like the anorexics, bulimics feel their self-worth is determined by the shape of their body. They constantly weight and measure their body, needing to keep track of any possible weight gain. Even though they may be nothing but skin and bones, to view themselves in a mirror, they see themselves as fat.

Cardiovascular problems such as a slow pulse and low blood pressure are caused by the bulimia condition. Even dental problems can occur such as highly sensitive teeth, pyorrhea, bleeding gums and tooth loss. Dry skin is fairly common and lower body temperature is experienced which causes shivering. These are some of the medical complications caused by the malnutrition; not to mention the risk of death.

Will power is not a cure for the bulimia illness. The bulimic exhibits self-destructive behavior, so it is necessary to work with the individual on an individual basis to teach them ways of coping with life, instead of using food as a means of coping. The eating disorder has been used as a means of survival against the problems in their life they have encountered. Thus, professional help is needed to evaluate what each individual's problems are and how to overcome these self-perceived feelings of low self-esteem and worthlessness.

In our society today, there's a lot of emphasis put on having the perfect body and for someone who has the idea their body does not measure up to what is considered perfect, then this is when an eating disorder may develop. Eating disorders are caused by a mindset and that thinking has to be dealt with before any chance of a recovery can be accomplished.

Early diagnosis and treatment are highly recommended for someone showing signs of an eating disorder. Dry hair and skin, a yellowing of the skin, brittle nails and weight loss are signs to look for in a person. Also, wanting to eat alone indicates there could be some kind of problem.

It must be noted this illness can become quite serious and lead to death, if left untreated.

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... The Trap Of An Eating Disorder There are many serious health and mental health issues that people deal with everyday in every part of the world. Many sicknesses and diseases are well known and understood by people while others remain mostly undiscussed and misunderstood. Having an eating disorder is one of the conditions that is rarely understood by most people. Struggling with an eating disorder is hard because it is a sickness that is not often recognized until it is fairly serious. People begin showing signs of having an eating disorder for many reasons. Some people are unhappy with their current weight or with the way their body looks. Others suffer the verbal abuse of a spouse or friend that makes hurtful remarks about weight or beauty. Still others who start having an eating disorder do so as a means of controlling a part of their lives when the rest of their life seems out of control. Whatever the reason that an eating disorder begins, it is an extremely tough sickness for people to conquer and be free of. Having an eating disorder is an extremely isolating thing to live with because it is not always noticable to the people around you. Most people who struggle with an eating disorder find a strange mix of comfort and angst in this. On one hand it is great that their problems can be kept secret from the ones around them, but on the other hand many times an eating disorder is a cry for the help and intervention of others. The isolation many people experience with an eating disorder becomes a trap that keeps them struggling longer and harder. They feel unable to seek help and yet unable to handle the pressures of the eating disorder on their own so that even those who have deep desire to be free from their eating disorder live for weeks, months or even years without the ability to see freedom...