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ArticlesEating DisordersBulimia
BulimiaBulimia – Signs and Causes
Bulimia, also called Bulimia Nervosa, is a
psychological eating disorder. Bulimia involves the process of
binge-eating, and induced purging afterwards. Teenagers that suffer
from Bulimia seem to eat more than others their age, but get little to
no nutritional value from the food they quickly get rid of. Often
Bulimia is the result of other medical conditions, such as low self
esteem, stress, anxiety, or depression.
For teenagers suffering from Bulimia, the binge is seen as a reward and is a way to cope with daily stresses and unpleasant feelings. Typically the binge eating occurs in secrecy, unless the binging and purging is carried out with friends who are also experimenting with binging and purging. Binging involves high calorie foods that are sweet or high in fat content – basically junk food. Some binges are planned in advance, but more often they are impulsive. Triggers for binges include problems with self image, prolonged dieting, interpersonal stressors, and dissatisfaction with body type (Bulimia). Not only does the teenager binge on huge quantities of high-caloric food followed by purging, but quite often laxatives are also used as a way to maintain or keep weight off. This cycle of binging and purging can result in a dramatic weight fluctuation, which can be very dangerous. Teenagers try to hide the signs of throwing up by running the sink or tub, faucet while spending long periods of time in the bathroom. Potential medical problems include: cardiac arrhythmias, electrolyte imbalances, esophageal tears, and dental problems. Prolonged purging presents a serious threat to the patient’s physical health, resulting in hormonal imbalance, depletion of needed minerals, dehydration, and damage to vital organs (Teenagers with Eating Disorders). Binge eating in Bulimia Nervosa may temporarily numb the teen’s negative feelings, but this state is quickly followed by feelings of failure. The Bulimic is often ashamed of their binging and purging and views their behavior as a loss of control, which in turn reinforces their low self esteem. Teenagers suffering from Bulimia follow their binge-eating behavior with compensatory behaviors in an attempt to counteract the binge episodes. The act of purging may temporarily reduce the feeling of fullness and also reduce the fear of weight gain. Some teenagers have reported that they actually look forward to the purging behavior, which causes a temporary feeling of release. Symptoms that Bulimics exhibit include: hiding foods; avoiding and arguing over certain foods they will or will not eat; a recurrent and increasing pattern over time of emotionality, mental dullness, physical weakness, low frustration; and a pattern of leaving or asking to leave the group (usually within twenty to thirty minutes) with some excuse in order to purge their meal. They often make comments about being fat, unattractive, and for the need to lose more weight, despite evidence to the contrary. Bulimics exhibit obsessive thinking that borders on a fixation; a fixation that is contradictory, illogical, and irrational with regard to food choice, weight loss, and purging. At times they will refuse to eat, and then later offer to eat in order to negotiate permission to continue partial purging and starvation (Answers to Questions about Teenage Bulimia and Anorexia). Other behaviors that teenagers with Bulimia use in an attempt to prevent weight gain include: using enemas, diuretics, diet pills, fasts, insulin abuse, laxatives, chew-spitting, and excessive exercise. Bulimics are obsessively involved with their weight and body size. The teen will often impulsively check their body size weight. This includes frequent weighing, measuring, and looking at themselves in the mirror. They don’t see the emaciated person looking back at them; they see a fat person that needs to lose a lot of weight. The Bulimic feels that their individual self worth is directly tied to their body shape and weight (Bulimia). Treatment can save the life of a teenager with an eating disorder. Teachers, relatives, friends, and physicians will often play an important role in helping the afflicted person start and stay with a treatment program. Caring, encouragement, and persistence, as well as up to date information about Bulimia and its dangers, is needed to convince the teen that they need help. Teenagers that suffer from Bulimia must regain a sense of control and self esteem in their life that is independent of their physical appearance. Often a comprehensive treatment plan is needed, involving a variety of experts in the medical field as well as an internist, a nutritionist, a psychotherapist, and a psychopharmacologist – a person who is knowledgeable regarding psychoactive medications that are often useful in treating eating disorders. Use of individual psychotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy, which teaches patients how to change abnormal thought processes, is often the most productive form of treatment. Cognitive-behavior therapists focus on changing eating behaviors by using a reward system or model behavior. These therapists also help the teenager work to change the distorted and rigid thinking patterns associated with Bulimia (Answers to Questions about Teenage Bulimia and Anorexia). Works Cited
“Answers to Questions about Teenage Bulimia and Anorexia” Bulimic Behaviors. 2001.
17 Mar. 2005 http://www.crisiscounseling.org/Handouts/BulimiaAnorexia.htm
“Bulimia”
Bulimia Nervosa better known as Bulimia. 2004. 17 Mar. 2005
http://www.raderprograms.com/bulimia.htm
“Teenagers with Eating Disorders” AACAP-Facts for Families #2. Jul. 2004. 17 Mar.
2005 http://www.aacap.org/publications/factsfam/eating.htm
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Help Reply to this Comment I think that kids all over the world are watching to much tv and thats why we have so many disorters... So i think that we need to get these kids out there and have them play more sports and have more activites for these kids to do.... Help Reply to this Comment I think that kids all over the world are watching to much tv and thats why we have so many disorters... So i think that we need to get these kids out there and have them play more sports and have more activites for these kids to do.... disorders Reply to this Comment that last comment my Kelsea is completely not true. Disorders, especially eating disorders don't come around because kids watch too much TV. Actually, alot of girls with eating disorders were big time atheltes at one time and just because obsessed with weight, often due to the pressures of the sport Bulimia Reply to this Comment Eating disorders or bulima dont come from just television! But I can say that it does play a part in the cycle. Bulima is about control. I know! When everything in your life feels out of control different people have different ways of handling that stress. Bulima is something that only you can do to your self and it somtimes feels like the only thing consistant in your life that you have control of. There is a reliese of stress and a sense of comfort when you are overly full and uncomfortable and throw-up. Then you realize that you are staying skinny at the same time as you are releasing your stress. Then you see people thinking that all these celebritys that claim to eat what ever they want, but manage to stay a size zero, are real skinny are attractive! Just like most if the people in America dieting uncontrolably and overly exercizing just trying so hard to look like that, you realize that you can look like that so easily and no one will know! How great is this what once was just a way to reliese stress is now a way to stay skinny at the same time. Another thing in your life that you can control and whats sad is people start to notice and tell you how great you look since you lost weight. You control exacally how much you loose! If there was not so much attention and desire for people to be skinny and look like Celebs in America, I can honestly say bulimia would not be about being skinny anymore but it still would remain a way to relieve stress. You dont want anyone to know you are belimic! You feel that they would judge you for the way that you relieve stress or maintain your weight. Its taboo, yet do people honestly think that the people that they idolize dont have some kind of taboo way to relieve their stress and staying a size zero! Its crazy if you think about it. We all are real confused. You maintain a cycle a crazy cycle. Whats sad is that you know that you will probabally die earlier that you were supposto, but dont care because you would rather die early than not have control of anything in your life or being able to relieve your own stress in a way that no one know can for you. bulimia Reply to this Comment Bulimia is such a stress reliever, and as much as it is horrible for your health, and people want to stop, those feeling you get after being so full and then throwing up all those calories, its incredible. so hard. the pressures of the media are oretty extreme, and yes a lot fo them are ex athletes (that stress of losing that identity has a lot of effects on teens) . and some are athletes- pressures to be a certain weight - gymnastics, running etc. but what we have to kep in mind its that its so serious and everyone needs to try and get help, because battling bulimia alone is harder than anorexia, and u have to admit it to yourself because with anoreixa, others can see how skinny you are geting, but bulimia, its more about weight contorl Dalbey Reply to this Comment yea okay whatever i dont watch tv hardly ever, im out of the house most of the time. and i still have bulemia so dont start with that oh its because of tv. if you had it youd know how much you're wrong. do you even know someone that is bulemic its the most shity thing to have. i wish i had the will to be anorexic but im too much of a failure. so please look int things before you just go on typing about things you dont know about thank you and g'bye, Beth couldn't agree more Reply to this Comment the media in today's culture sends such an unrealistic image of what the female body should look like. In reality only 5% of women are born with the figure of models. I was most shocked to hear that by the time girls are in 6th-8th grade over 80% of them have body image problems and are on some sort of diet...If you want to learn more astounding facts google "jean Kilbourne" she has done the majority of her research on the media's affect on women Not only teens Reply to this Comment This information is very helpful. I do not like how most of your sources target teens. This is a problem for many age groups and for people that are older with this problem it makes them feel even more alienated and foolish. Perhaps a less teen targeted definition or a more broad range of age could be addressed in the definition. Bulimia in adulthood Reply to this Comment I feel an additional stigma as an adult with a eating disorder because a lot of publication/articles still address the bulimia/anorexia in teens. I'm 45 and have struggled with bulimia for years, on and off. I know how to stop (and know a lot in general) but, sooner or later, I seem to relapse... I had anorexia as a teen. It's all tied in somehow. Never really got treatment until in my mid-20's. E.D's are tricky and deadly... very complex. And it can be very challanging to get the help and support that is needed when you don't have insurances (or other form of financial assistance) to keep working on recovery. But, I have found that there is alway hope as long as you focus on the choices you do have... and in God! Bulimia in adulthood Reply to this Comment I feel an additional stigma as an adult with a eating disorder because a lot of publication/articles still address the bulimia/anorexia in teens. I'm 45 and have struggled with bulimia for years, on and off. I know how to stop (and know a lot in general) but, sooner or later, I seem to relapse... I had anorexia as a teen. It's all tied in somehow. Never really got treatment until in my mid-20's. E.D's are tricky and deadly... very complex. And it can be very challanging to get the help and support that is needed when you don't have insurances (or other form of financial assistance) to keep working on recovery. But, I have found that there is alway hope as long as you focus on the choices you do have... and in God! | ||||||||
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By:Kelsea Posted: Oct 02 2007 02:59:25 PM