Know Your feelings

Bulimia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by out of control eating followed by different kinds of purging methods. It usually accompanies a pathological fear of weight gain leading to food restriction, followed by the need of extreme food consumption in response to extreme hunger. The excessive intake leads to the need to purge. With bulimia, normal food consumption is deregulated and feels out of control.


What's a bulimic binge ?

Bulimic eating episodes are referred to as binges; binges are characterized by the consumption of large amounts of food during a short period of time. In some cases, bulimia victims can't stop eating until they have consumed so much food that their body aches. In other cases, bulimia victims report having "binged" on as few as 5 raisins, or on a few teaspoons of cottage cheese. A bulimic binge is more about being out of control and less about the amount of food consumed. The manner in which the food is consumed (generally frantic and senseless, as the food is hardly tasted) is also important in defining a binge. Many bulimics describe a "surreal" state that comes over them when they are binge eating.

As an example of a bulimic binge, one woman with bulimia found herself at a time of great despair, compelled to drive into a convenience store where she purchased three pastries; she then proceeded to swallow them whole in an emotional whirl in the dark alley behind the store. As far as she was concerned, her binge started when she drove up to the front door and wasn't over until she had purged the pastries. She felt that she was in a distorted state throughout the five-minute interval, and experienced a deep sense of relief from her anxiety after the binge/purge episode. The bulimic episode releases endorphins, brain chemicals that instill a person with a lack of sensation or exhilaration. Paradoxically, the relief passes quickly, only to be replaced by anxiety and guilt.


What causes bulimia ?

Bulimia results from the interaction of different factors, both chemical and environmental. People are born with a hereditary predisposition towards developing bulimia, particularly where addiction is in the genes. Bulimic persons who experience the toughest struggle in making a full recovery are those who suffer from substance addictions. A significant parallel between the development of clinical bulimia nervosa and sexual abuse has also been demonstrated.

In addition to genetics, environmental factors can add to triggering the start of bulimia. These include peer pressures, family behaviors, the influence of the media creating a need for slenderness, low self-esteem and a lack of acceptance of one's appearance. Furthermore, bad eating habits can be the start of a problem that can eventually rise to bulimia; dieting and excessive hunger lead to gorging and gorging leads to the inclination to purge. The bottom line is that bulimia and anorexia are the mishandling of food to resolve emotional problems. When a person is unable of facing feelings, defining problems, and resolving them successfully, that person is more apt to become susceptible to the start of bulimia. Bulimia and anorexia are the deadliest of all the mental health disorders, killing or maiming 6 to 13 percent of its victims, 87 percent of whom are under twenty years of age.


What are the symptoms of bulimia ?

Other symptoms of bulimia may include the abuse of laxatives, diuretics, and/or diet pills, all of which are a form of purging. Another very common form of bulimia is obsessive and extreme exercising, which is also commonly known as an activity disorder.


Is bulimia easily recognized ?

How easy is it to recognize bulimia in someone ? Not easy at all. Bulimic individuals appear to be of normal weight most often. Being a secretive disease, there is usually no way to recognize bulimia simply by noticing visible behaviors. Observers need to read the hidden signs of a hidden disease. Most often, bulimia is a disease that the victim covets and hides as a result of the fear of letting go of a grip on a crutch that has gotten them through life and hard times. By purging one's dinner, (i.e. taking control of one's own body) the victim feels in control of his or her life. With bulimia, purging becomes a symbol for refusing to face and deal with all of life's worries. Bulimia hardly ever shows up in the doctor's office or in lab tests for blood and urine.


Who suffers from bulimia ?

Children are reported to suffer from bulimia at very young ages. The average age of onset has recently dropped from 13 - 17 to ages 9 - 12. As girls reach puberty at ever younger ages, they find themselves growing larger at precisely the time when they are most aware of society's recommendation for them to be thin. Dieting, rather than healthy eating becomes a way of life for children in search of slenderness. Dieting damages healthful metabolic processes and establishes unhealthy eating habits that bring young people into their adult years with a predisposition for disordered eating and obesity.

The unsettled issues and dysfunctional habits connected with bulimia are often brought into a person's adult years. Many bulimic individuals in their 20's 30's and 40's have harbored these secret diseases alone and isolated for decades at a time. A member of a therapy group for adults with bulimia and anorexia said that during the 20 years of her bulimia, she had never told a single person of her struggles. She believes that her husband and four children still do not know. Another girl spoke of seeing a psychiatrist for seven years twice a week without telling him that she was bulimic. When asked why, she stated that she felt he would be disgusted and would not want to work with her anymore.


Do individuals recover from bulimia ?

It has been said that ? Once bulimic, always bulimic ? False, Research has shown that when detected early and treated efficiently, 80% of victims of bulimia recover. There is every reason to believe that outcomes can and will be good to cure the disease, as well as improve the quality of life for the individuals who sufferer from bulimia.

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	Adultery		Dissatisfaction
	Anorexia Nervosa		Divorce / Separation
	Anxiety		Gambling Addiction
	Being worried		Loneliness
	Bulimia Nervosa		Phobias
	Chronic Pain		Rejection
	Conflict		Stress
	Death and Loss		Suicidal Thoughts
	Depression		Violence
	Despair
Warning: if you have moderate depression or suicidal tendencies please seek the advice of a doctor/ therapist or dial 9-1-1.