Bulimia Nervosa - Causes, Symptoms & Treatment of Bulimia Nervosa

What is Bulimia Nervosa ?

Bulimia is an eating disorder characterised by repeated episodes of overeating and a preoccupation with the control of body weight.

Studies shown that up to 1 per cent of the population is suffering from bulimia nervosa at any one time, and this may well be an underestimate.

Other studies show that up to 7 per cent of young women consulting their GP have the symptoms of bulimia nervosa.

Types of Breast cancers:

1. Simple Bulimia Nervosa
2. Anorexic Bulimia Nervosa
3. Multi-impulsive Bulimia Nervosa

Simple Bulimia Nervosa - Is an illness that begins most commonly when the girls are about 18 yrs of age. They are a fairly normal group before the illness. They tend to have been mildly under confident and unassertive but come from a broad range of unexceptional family backgrounds. They have probably made friends in a normal way at school and are often fairly popular. The illness is frequently triggered by a period of unhappiness and this is often caused by a destructive relationship with a boyfriend. The feeling of self dislike focuses on appearance and dieting is begun in an attempt to improve self esteem.

Anorexic Bulimia Nervosa - Is a variant of the illness that is preceded by a bout of Anorexia Nervosa. Quite often this anorexic episode is a brief one and the sufferer begins to recover without treatment. It is followed typically by a short period of stabilised weight just below that at which the menstruation may restart, around 46 kg. The control of the anorexic is not sustained and bingeing begins usually in a very small way but becomes more severe especially once vomiting begins. Often they begin by vomiting after what would for a normal person be an ordinary meal but this leads to a loss of control of the appetite drive and true bingeing gradually starts.

Multi-impulsive Bulimia Nervosa - Is a severe variant of Bulimia Nervosa that begins in a similar way to Simple Bulimia and in a similar age group of girls. This group suffer with a range of abnormal behaviours all of which indicate problems of emotional and impulse control. Often some of these other behaviours are already causing difficulty before the Bulimia begins. In association with the eating disorder will be found a mix of other problems including drug abuse, alcohol abuse, deliberate self harm (usually cutting of forearms), stealing and promiscuity.

Causes of Bulimia Nervosa

The cause of bulimia nervosa is unknown. Factors in the patient's social environment are important, including the cultural pressure for women in the Western world to aspire to an unnaturally slim body weight. However, most people with bulimia nervosa maintain a normal body weight. Patients with bulimia nervosa often suffer from low self-esteem .

Sings and Symptoms of Bulimia Nervosa

• Eating large amounts of food in a short period of time.
• Episodes of overeating in which large amounts of food are consumed in short periods of time.
• excessive exercise, induced vomiting after eating, starving for periods of time or taking medicines such as laxatives or diuretics to counteract the bingeing.
• Dry skin around the mouth and dry lips.
• Blood vessels are broken around eyes due to vomiting.
• Changes in weight gain about 10 pounds every week.
• Cavities increased during binge-eating.
• Small and lesions red in color are found on the palate.
• Change in color of teeth.
• Bleeding from the gums.
• Having binge-purge cycles that happen at least 2 times a week for 3 months or longer.
• Feeling ashamed of overeating and very fearful of gaining weight.

Diagnosis of Bulimia Nervosa

1. Recurrent episodes of binge eating. This is characterized by eating within a two-hour period an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat during a similar period of time and under similar circumstances.
2. A sense of lack of control over the eating during the episode, or a feeling that one cannot stop eating.
3. In addition to the binge eating, there is an inappropriate compensatory behavior in order to prevent weight gain. These behaviors can include self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, diuretics, enemas or other medications, fasting, or excessive exercise.
4. Both the binge eating and the compensatory behaviors must occur at least two times per week for three months and must not occur exclusively during episodes of anorexia.
5. Finally, the behavior above is unduly influenced by body image.

Treatment of Bulimia Nervosa

Treatment of Bulimia Nervosa are basiclly characterised by Medical care, Psychotherapy, Nutritional therapy and Medications.

Medical care - bulimia can cause a range of health complications, people with the condition may need treatment for their specific complications. They may also need frequent monitoring of vital signs, hydration level and electrolytes, as well as related physical conditions.

Nutritional therapy - Dietitians and other health care providers can offer information about a healthy diet and help design an eating plan to achieve a healthy weight and healthy-eating habits.

Medications - Antidepressant medications may help some people with bulimia.The only antidepressant specifically FDA approved to treat bulimia is fluoxetine (Prozac), a type of antidepressant.

Psychotherapy - A type of talk therapy called cognitive behavior therapy is most commonly used for bulimia and has shown the most benefit in treating the condition. Therapy can include individual or family therapy. Individual therapy can help you deal with the behavior and thoughts that contribute to bulimia.

Prevention Tips of Bulimia Nervosa

• Balanced diet should be taken.
• Avoid more sugar in diet.
• Use baking soda and clean water after vomiting.
• Use artificial saliva and chew more gum that contains no sugar.
• Read magazines on being thin and dieting.