Causes: The exact cause of bulimia is unknown, but factors thought to contribute to its development are family problems, maladaptive behavior, self-identity conflict, and cultural overemphasis on physical appearance. Bulimia may be associated with depression.
Bulimia is stimulated by society's emphasis on thinness. Bulimic's are the ultimate people pleasers. The person is usually aware that their eating pattern is abnormal. The behavior is usually secretive, although clues to this disorder include overactivity, peculiar eating habits, eating rituals, and frequent weighing.
Effects to body: Bulimia causes delays in puberty development, cardiovascular and renal abnormalities, liver damage, osteoporosis, electrolyte disturbance and death. Innate immunity is impaired and there is a loss of potassium, water, salt and chloride. Sexual expression may be inhibited or absent.
Treatment(s): Treatment focuses on breaking the binge-purge cycles of behavior since the person is usually aware that the behavior is abnormal. Outpatient treatment may include behavior modification techniques and individual, group, or family counseling. With treatment up to one half of those affected continue to experience behavior and psychiatric problems. Death due to bulimia is very rare. Without treatment, Bulimia Nervosa can be fatal.
Causes: The exact cause of this disorder is not known, but social attitudes towards body appearance and family factors play a role in its development.
Effects of the Body: shrunken organs bone mineral loss, which can lead to osteoporosis, low body temperature, low blood pressure, slowed metabolism, and reflexes irregular heartbeat, which can lead to cardiac arrest.
Treatment(s): The purpose of treatment is to restore normal body weight and eating habits, and resolve any psychological issues. Hospitalization may be indicated in some cases. Supportive care by health care providers, structured behavioral therapy, psychotherapy, and anti-depressive drug therapy are some of the methods that are used for treatment. Severe malnutrition may require intravenous feeding. Experienced treatment programs have a two-thirds success rate in restoring normal weight. Half of the people affected with this disorder continue to experience eating and psychological problems. Death may occur from complications of the disorder or from suicide in up to 6% of the cases. Weight management may be difficult and long-term treatment may be necessary to help maintain a healthy body weight.. If Anorexia Nervosa is left untreated, it can be fatal.
***Bulimic's are the ultimate people pleasers. While Anorexic girls are perfectionists and controlled, bulimic girls are impulsive and not in control of their feelings and actions.
***Many bulimia nervosa patients have a history of anorexia nervosa; others may subsequently lose weight and become anorexic. Approximately half of anorexia nervosa patients engage in binging and purging behaviors associated with bulimia.
The above are common symptoms and signs of what could lead to some very serious and often life-threatening health problems. The mortality rate of individuals with these disorders is among the highest of any other psychiatric disorder.
~~~Eating disorders fall in a group of psychological disorders that may be called compulsive disorders meaning that there are underlying issues that "drive or compel" them to cope with the issue in a way that is most immediately relieving. The core of the eating disorder is often a specific, traumatic incident or set of circumstances that wound the person in such a way as to lead, sooner or later, to an expression of that pain through the eating disorder. Whether the intent is to gain emotional comfort, control of a chaotic situation or power in an abusive state, the eating disorder person sees in her use of food, a solution that is immediately within reach. Very quickly, however, as with any compulsive behavior, the behavior begins to "rule" and "control" her. It may often be the evidence of a deficit of coping skills or dysfunctional core personality traits which is why one doesn't just stop doing the only thing that one knows to survive the life-problem she faces.
~~~In many cases, there are links between the family’s medical and psychological history and the girl’s eating disorder. It is common to discover that the family background contains various psychological illnesses such as depression, severe anxiety, or personality disorders; various addictions such as alcohol, drugs (illicit or prescribed), relational, sexual and/or eating disorders, and various physical ailments. Current research on eating disorders continues to have difficulty identifying whether or not the causal factor is psychological or biological. Yet, it is clear that these are closely intertwined and must be treated in unison for the best results.
^^That approximately one percent of adolescent girls develop Anorexia Nervosa while two to three percent of young women develop Bulimia Nervosa.
^^Do you know that most sufferers can recover provided professional help is given in the early stages.
^^Five to ten million adolescent girls and women struggle with eating disorders and borderline eating conditions.
^^One million boys and men struggle with eating disorders and borderline eating conditions.
^^The number of people with eating disorders and borderline eating conditions is triple the number of people with AIDSin the U.S.A.
^^Almost 50% of American elementary school students between the first and third grades want to be thinner.
^^ Four out of five children at the age of ten years old are afraid of being fat.
^^ Almost four out of five American women are dissatisfied with their appearance.
^^50% of American women are on a diet on any given day.
^^One in four men are on a diet on any given day.
^^50% of nine and ten year old girls feel better about themselves if they are on a diet.
^^35% of "normal dieters" progress to pathological dieting. Of those,one in four will progress to partial or full syndrome eating disorders.
^^Americans spend over $40 billion on dieting and diet related products each year.
It is important to remember that when you first approach the person you suspect has an eating disorder, they may react with anger or they may deny that anything is wrong. Do not push the issue, just let them know that you will always be there for them if they need to talk.
Watching someone you love slowly kill themselves can be frightening. You will probably experience feelings of distress, anger, guilt and confusion. No matter how much you want to help them, you must remember that only they can make the decision to get help.
