Bulimia Nervosa: A Deadly Disorder

Bulimia nervosa is another eating disorder characterized by binge eating and then followed by self-induced vomiting. The binge eating is usually done in secret. Purging of the food eaten could also be done by fasting, excessive exercise, diuretics, and laxatives. Like in anorexia nervosa, the eating disorder is caused by psychological factors, mostly dissatisfaction with self and low self-esteem. Also like anorexia nervosa, bulimia has serious and deadly medical complications.

A bulimic person usually eats large amounts of food. This person would act as if he has lack of control over his excessive eating habits. A bulimic has a tendency to hide or hoard food and then eating it secretly. Similar to an anorexic, a bulimic has a distorted view of the concept of body size and feels disgusted of his body size and shape. The same person will have intense fear towards gaining weight for becoming fat. He would always be concerned about appearance and works hard to please others. Depression is usually evident on the person and as a consequence, would most likely isolate himself. The lack of self-control when it comes to eating shows that a bulimic has a strong need to be the opposite. Moreover, this person would always feel worthless and has difficulty expressing his feelings.

Physical characteristics of a bulimic would include: loss of dental enamel due to acids from constant self-induced vomiting, constipation, swollen salivary glands, lack of energy and fatigue, weight changes, edema or fluid retention, gastric rupture, and cardiac arrhythmia.

There are two types of bulimia patients: the purging and the non-purging. Common purging behavior is usually self-induced vomiting, emetic abuse, diuretic abuse, fasting, too much exercise, and laxative abuse. In non-purging, the patient usually does excessive fasting and exercise.

Take note of the warning signs to catch someone binge-eating. An obvious disappearance of large amounts of food in short periods of time is a usual occurrence. If a person makes frequent trips to the bathroom after meals and comes back with signs and smells of vomiting, then the person is definitely bulimic. You might also find wrappers of diuretics or laxatives. Unusual swelling of the cheeks or jaw area, as well as scars and calluses on the back of the hands and knuckles from self-induced vomiting may be characteristic to the patient. There would also be staining of teeth from the acid. The person could also be avoiding the company of friends to schedule for binge-and-purge sessions.

Because of fluid and nutrient loss from self-induced vomiting, a bulimic patient is very likely to suffer from electrolyte imbalance. This leads to irregular heartbeats, exacerbating to heart failure and death.

Treatment of a bulimic patient is aimed at restoring normal eating patterns and good physical health. During the course of the treatment, both medical and psychological approaches will be used. The family and friends of the patient must be involved in the process of healing. At the end of the treatment, the patient should be able to accept his own person and have an emotionally healthy life.