The Danger in Bulimia

Any eating disorder can be serious and can be fatal illnesses that cause severe disturbances to a patient’s behavior to eating. People with such illnesses often have obsessions with food, body shape and weight which can be excessive and can lead to severe complications brought about by excessive attempts of patients to manipulate their body. Eating disorders tend to start at adolescence age not only due to puberty factors but may also be due to societal factors that impact a person. These conditions can also be carried to adulthood if not detected or treated earlier.

One of the most common eating disorder is Bulimia Nervosa. Bulimia is an obsessive compulsive eating disorder. People with bulimia have the tendency to consume large amounts of food in a short period of time. People affected by this condition can take up food that may exceed to 3,000 calories in an hour only to throw them up after.

Bulimia is a condition similar to Anorexia since it is also a mental illness concerned about resistance to gaining weight. Unlike anorexia, a bulimic patient does not resort to eating less to any. Instead, a person with bulimia is caught in a cycle of taking in a large quantity of food which is regarded as “bingeing” and then “purging”, that leads to vomiting which can be induced by taking laxatives or diuretics in order to prevent gaining weight.

Bulimic patients feel that they have lost control of their eating and evaluates themselves according to their weight and form. Unlike anorexia, bulimic patients often have their weight at a normal healthy range however the mental state worsens the situation. People who suffer this condition tend to get intimidated and guilty about their eating behavior. People in this condition eat excessively and as quickly as possible to feel happier and fill whatever hole they feel inside but feel emotionally upset and guilty afterward thus resolving to take laxatives or force themselves to throw up whatever food they ate.

Like anorexia, bulimia causes patients to have very low self-esteem that may result to self-harm. These kinds of disorders do not only affect the patient’s health but as well as their relationships. Some may experience symptoms such as tiredness, the feeling of bloating, abdominal pain, constipation, irregular menstruation (for girls) and more. While depriving your body of food is bad for the body, forcing your body to take in food beyond their limit is not beneficial to health as well.

When a patient is vomiting excessively, it can develop to problems with the teeth and laxative misuse can lead to heart complications. In some instances, bulimia can start developing from anorexia but not all cases.

Since mental illnesses need to be seriously addressed, the family and friends of the patients must continuously give their family member suffering from this condition support to help them recover and have the will to correct their eating patterns and instead eat healthily.