Bulimia eating disorder is an obsessive compulsive of serious types of eating disorder and potentially to life-threatening. Generally, bulimia begins in adolescence and usually experienced by women. Men also can suffer from this disorder, but not mush case of it relatively. Bulimia often begins with a person against his dissatisfaction. Mental disorders can be associated with extreme levels of low self-esteem, alcoholism, depression, and self-harm acts.
People with bulimia will eat the food in excessive amounts, then forced it out of the body by vomiting or using laxatives. This unhealthy facts is performed by sufferers to eliminate excess calories that have been consumed for weight that maintained.
Environmental factors may have some contribute to triggering the onset of bulimia. This includes peer pressures, family attitudes, poor self-esteem and lack of self-acceptance and body shape. Another factor that can cause bulimia is biological or biochemical. Several studies have shown that insufficiency of a special hormone in the brain called serotonin can cause depression and bulimia at the same time.
Many factors can contribute to the development of bulimia. Ranging from genetic conditions, family, co-workers and also the neighborhood. Patients will blame the low serotonin levels in the brain for their bulimia. But most people probably have a combination of factors that lead to bulimia increasingly acute.
What are the Symptoms of Bulimia Eating Disorder?
Signs of Bulimia eating disorder symptoms can be seen from the physical, psychological and behavioural. It is very possible as a combination of all three of these signs displayed by a person with the bulimia eating disorder.
Physical Symptoms of Bulimia:
- Weight change drastically either excessively or diminished
The main indication that a person suffering bulimia eating disorder is to eat foods in excess amount, although sufferers do not feel hungry. This process can be triggered by emotional problems, such as stress or depression. Sufferers then feels guilty, regrets and self-loathing that would force the body to remove all the calories that have been entered.
This method is generally carried out by forcing herself to vomit or use laxatives to trigger the process of defecation. People with bulimia experience this cycle at least more than two times a week for at least three months. This process will lead to weight unstable condition or changed drastically in a short time. Body could be too heavy or otherwise.
- Signs of damage due to vomiting include swelling around the cheeks or jaw, calluses on the knuckles, tooth decay and bad breath
People with bulimia eating disorder feels guilty, remorse, and hating her/himself for eating too much foods, then forcing the body to remove all the calories that have been entered. It is hazardous for the health of mouth area. Jaw and cheek will swelling, tooth loss and bad breath due to food being forced to spit out. Teeth also changing it’s color to yellow. The acidic nature of the regurgitated food will damage the teeth, make teeth turn into yellow or brown.
- The heartbeat and shortness of breath
Rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath (dyspnea) is a sign of heart failure. Heart failure is a potential consequence of a chemical imbalance caused by bulimia. These symptoms may occur suddenly and at high risk. People with bulimia are most vulnerable to the long-term risk of heart failure, and even death.
- Bloating, constipation or food intolerance
Bulimia eating disorder sufferers will experience digestive problems if forced to remove all of food that has been digested. In fact she/he tends to feel constipated, as well as food intolerance.
- Loss or disruption of menstrual periods
Food intake and state of mind affects the menstrual cycle of a woman. If you’re having Bulimia eating disorder, women tend to lose the previous menstrual cycle is irregular. Then the time of menstruation begins to be guessed.
- Fainting, dizziness and mental imbalance
Many food habits and then regurgitating very influential on the physical conditions. People will physically exhausted and in turn also cause dizziness. It is can lead to fainting. Dizziness and mental instability is the acute symptoms of severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.
This is may impact on the misuse of laxatives or diuretics, and vomiting as a result of excessive exercise, due to run electrolytes out through of sweat. People with bulimia at a high risk of life-threatening due to electrolyte imbalance and dehydration.
When the headache becomes severe or unstable mental increasingly, a person may feel unable to stand in a balanced way. Another effect is like having difficulty to speaking clearly or difficult to understand the question or the speech of others.
- Feeling tired and did not sleep well
In addition to attack someone’s psychic, Bulimia eating disorder also attacked the physical and behavioural. Physical always felt disturbed and felt sorry for food that has been eaten, physically trying to vomit again and behaviour becomes unnatural. That way, your body will feel fatigue, even interfere with sleep state.
- Nausea or abdominal cramps
Electrolytes such as sodium, calcium and potassium, are essential mineral in the body that has an electric charge. Excessive fluid loss, which is caused by vomiting, misuse of laxatives and diuretics, can cause electrolyte imbalances in people with bulimia. This imbalance can lead to death.
In the most severe cases, nausea indicate heart failure, while other potential causes of death, associated with bulimia. Unfortunately, people with bulimia often experience nausea and stomach cramps as a side effect of such behavior laxative abuse. If nausea or abdominal cramps occur suddenly and worsens, they should immediately seek medical treatment.
Psychological signs of Bulimia
- Very enjoy eating, food, body shape and weight
Bulimia eating disorder sufferers tend to enjoy what they are eating. Almost all the food is preferred. Nevertheless, he was obsessed with physical conditions. he has a physical description of the ideal itself. So, he has always tried to maintain weight, while on the other hand he is also obsessed with food.
- Sensitivity to the comments related to food, weight, body shape or exercise
Because of his desire to eat a lot but do not want to have excessive weight, eating disorder Bulimia sufferers are particularly sensitive to comments relating to food premises, weight, body shape and exercise. He often ate but did not want to comment that the weight ride. He often do sports, but do not want to say excessive.
- Low self-esteem and feelings of shame, self loathing or guilt, especially after eating
Although it has been spewing out the food using laxatives, Bulimia eating disorder sufferers are not just satisfied. Even after vomit, he was embarrassed. This happens also before he spewed, she felt ashamed after eating. So he tried to vomit it.
- Having a distorted body image (eg, see themselves as fat even if they are in a healthy weight range for their age and height)
The views of people with a Bulimia eating disorder to their bodies are very different from most people. If most people judge that the body is ideal for people with age and height, Bulimia eating disorder sufferers still feel that his body is a pile of fat. He considered that the physical is less than ideal, out of order.
- Controlling excessive food, especially calories
Psychologically, people with Bulimia eating disorder always pay attention and take into account the food that will be consumed. He thinking about how many calories it is. People with bulimia also tend to be very strict diet and doing exercise excessively.
The hallmark of bulimia disease is certainly a habit of issuing food eaten very quickly, so it is very strange for ordinary people if returned regurgitate after eating food.
- Depression, anxiety or irritability
Beside his Physically that is not healthy, Bulimia eating disorder sufferers are also affected his mental. In fact, the disease tends to strike the mental of sufferers. A person is short-tempered, irritable, have no concern about food and body shape as well as depression.
- Not having the satisfaction of the physical form
In addition to a physical view of deviating from normal people, people with bulimia eating disorders will also have the satisfaction of physical form. As well as any form of physical sufferers always in mind, that he was less than perfect.
Behaviour signs
- Vomiting or using laxatives
Laxatives are used to immediately get rid of the food out of the body. Bulimic assume laxatives can prevent calorie absorption by the intestine.
- Go to the bathroom after eating
Immediately go to the bathroom after eating can be a sign of a person suffering from bulimia nervosa. The patient going to the bathroom to vomit or use laxatives.
- Doing exercise excessively
Bulimia nervosa is a condition where an individual obsessed with food and body image. Bulimia is characterized by eating lots then regurgitating the food to prevent weight gain. People with bulimia also tend to do exercise excessively with the intention of keeping the weight low. Even those still exercising in bad weather, despite pain, even injury.
- Eat in private and avoid foods with others.
Patients who feel a desire to eat more than other people feel more secure if do it by themselves. There are feelings of anxiety when eating with others.
- Anti-social Behaviour, spend more time alone
Patients spend more time alone than with other people. His perception of eating, food, weight and body shape is different from the others cause bulimia eating disorder sufferers tend to avoid other people. It is considered the best way.
- Obsessive associated with body shape and weight (example weighing herself repeatedly, repeatedly looked in the mirror and pinched waist or wrist)
People with bulimia eating disorder are obsessed with physical form. he has a tendency to pay more attention to his physique. Either through the scales and mirrors.
- Hiding food
Some people with bulimia eating disorder have a tendency to hide their food. They feel embarrassed if known by others about the amount of food that they eat.
- Behaviour Diet
People with bulimia eating disorder has the habit to calculate the number of calories eaten, avoid fatty foods and carbohydrates. Sometimes they also do it by way of fasting.
- Conduct spend money to buy food that is not necessary
Naturally, if someone buy food to eat, but if spending a lot of foods that really are not needed just for saved. Food is used only to satisfy the desires of his psychology.
What can we do to bulimia eating disorder?
We can help with the eating disorder bulimia sufferers by:
- Set aside time to talk privately with that friend, and stay calm when talking with him. Be sure to speak in a quiet place, where time while talking or chatting will not be disturbed.
- Have a Sense of concern – Tell a bulimic friend about the perceived concerns. Tell concerns and helped him to think to be assisted by professional people.
- Talking to professionals – Friends had to speak to a counselor or a doctor who knows about eating problems.
- Avoid conflicts – If your friends do not recognize that he has a problem, do not push him. Be sure to tell your friends before, we will always be there to listen if he wants to talk.
Bulimia Treatment Steps
The hardest and the most important part for people with bulimia is to recognize abnormalities that they have experienced. This step is very significant that people with a desire to heal and willing to undergo the treatment. Mainly, handling to overcome bulimia is with psychological therapy.
Through therapy, people with bulimia eating disorder will be helped to re-establish a positive attitude and mind to diet. This process will also help to detect emotional problems behind bulimia. There are two types of therapy that can be undertaken:
- Cognitive Behavioral (CBT). Through CBT, people with bulimia eating disorder are helped to recognize the trigger of bulimia, for example, opinion and negative behavior and learn to replace them with positive thinking and healthy.
- Interpersonal Therapy. Interpersonal therapy helps people with bulimia eating disorder to detect problems in dealing with others, while enhancing the ability to communicate and solve problems.
With two on therapy, the doctor will regularly monitoring the progress of the condition and the body’s reaction to the drug during use antidepressants. This drug is not suitable to use by people with bulimia under 18 years old. People with epilepsy, having a family history of heart disease, liver, or kidneys are also advised to avoid these drugs.
Risk of Bulimia Complications
If not treated, bulimia can lead to a serious complications and, can be fatal.
- Frequency of vomiting is often and will damage the teeth (due to stomach acid) and trigger swelling of salivary glands. Similarly, the sore throat and bad breath.
- Triggering dehydration. It is difficult to conceive due to irregular menstrual cycle, dry skin and hair, brittle nails, kidney failure, and heart failure.
- While the use of laxatives is uncontrolled, it can cause damage to the digestive organs and interfere with the body’s natural balance of the levels of compounds. This imbalance could potentially lead to fatigue, weakness, irregular heartbeat, and seizures.
The steps of the treatment for bulimia eating diorder usually takes time and effort that is not easy to get trough. Full support of friends and family also play an important role. Therefore, people and families are encouraged to be patient in living.