Bulimia Facts

Obesity or excessive body weight does not only cause problems to a person physically, but can affect the person psychologically as well. Dissatisfaction with one’s appearance, fear of rejection by peers and failure of diet plans followed can all lead to a psychological disorder in a person known as ‘Bulimia Nervosa’. Popularly known as ‘bulimia’, this is an eating disorder which entails recurrent bingeing and purging which takes place in a repeated order. People suffering from bulimia indulge in uncontrollable eating which is then followed by the feeling of guilt which then makes the person purge out what he or she ate. The dangerous part of this disorder is the feeling of guilt that makes the person resort to abnormal means of flushing out food from his/her body. The person suffering from bulimia might self-induce vomiting, make use of laxatives and might suddenly follow a rigorous exercise routine. The person suffering from this disorder does this because he/she feels the need to self-impose means of punishment for his/her act of bingeing. For more facts about bulimia, read on.

• Bulimia or binge eating is followed by inappropriate and abnormal weight control measures. The person suffering from bulimia will exercise excessively, will make use of laxatives, diuretics or will even force himself or herself to vomit or purge in order to control weight.
• Another interesting fact about bulimia is that people experience significant changes in their weight, but their weight loss is not as obvious as in people suffering from anorexia.
• People suffering from bulimia are ashamed of themselves and therefore they are secretive about their eating habits. People who suffer from bulimia are well aware of their abnormality which makes them secretive in their food habits.
• Bulimia is not triggered because of hunger in a person, but because of a response to emotional stress, depression or feelings regarding weight, body shape and food.
• Binging and purging actually succeed each other. A person suffering from bulimia feels that s/he has lost control of his/her diet and therefore he/she purges to feel a sense of balance and control.
• Another alarming fact about bulimia is that people suffering from this disorder might go for days without eating after an episode of bingeing, rather than forcing themselves to vomit, or purge.
• Exercising excessively is another common character trait of a person suffering from bulimia. They exercise not only to gain control, but also to lose weight which they think they gained during the binging episode.
• There is no definite cause for bulimia. It is a disorder that begins usually when a person starts disliking his/her body. The person might have a perception that s/he has put on weight and hence needs to diet.
• Studies have shown that people suffering from bulimia experience variations in their rate of metabolism, a perception of being full, and abnormalities in the interaction of the nervous system to produce hormones.
• Recent research on bulimia shows that the disorder is not restricted only to a particular culture or class. The abnormality is prevalent in all sections of society, though found commonly in females than in males.
• Bulimia is quite difficult to diagnose and can come to light only if some medical or psychological problems surface.
• The doctors look for recurring episodes of binge eating, cases of a person eating more in a period of two hours than a normal person, signs of a person losing control during a binge episode etc.
• A person suffering from bulimia normally has swollen jaws or cheeks. One can notice broken blood vessels in the eyes of the victim, and their teeth may look clear because of the damage done to the enamel.
• A person suffering from bulimia might have multiple cavities due to exposure to stomach acids that damage the enamel of the teeth. The person might also develop sensitivity to hot or cold foods. They might also experience soreness in the salivary glands.