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| Treatment at the earliest possible opportunity gives the best chance of recovery from Bulimia |
Bulimia (or bulimia nervosa) is a serious mental illness. It can affect anyone of any age, gender, or background. People with bulimia are caught in a cycle of eating large quantities of food (called bingeing), and then trying to compensate for that overeating by vomiting, taking laxatives or diuretics, fasting, or exercising exces sively (called purging).
Treatment at the earliest possible opportunity gives the best chance for a rapid and sustained recovery from bulimia.
It's normal for people who aren't suffering from an eating disorder to choose to eat a bit more or " overindulge" sometimes. This shouldn't be confused with a binge. During a binge, people with bulimia don't feel in control of how much or how quickly they're eating. Some people also say that they feel as though they're disconnected from what they're doing.
The food eaten during a binge may include things the person would usually avoid. Episodes of bingeing are often very distressing. People with bulimia place strong emphasis on their weight and shape, and may see themselves as much larger than they are.
The binge/ purge cycles associated with bulimia can dominate daily life and lead to difficulties in relationships and social situations.
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| Treatment at the earliest possible opportunity gives the best chance of recovery from Bulimia |
Bulimia can cause serious physical com plications as well-frequent vomiting can cause problems with the teeth, and people may go to lengths to make themselves sick that could cause them harm.
Laxative misuse can seriously affect the heart and digestive system. People with bulimia may also experience symptoms such as tiredness, feeling bloated, constipation, abdominal pain, irregular periods, or occasional swelling of the hands and feet.
However, as sufferers often maintain a " normal" weight and often hide their illness from others, it can be very difficult to spot from the outside. Moreover, people with bulimia are often reluctant to seek help. As with other eating disorders, people around a person with bulimia will probably notice changes to their mood and feelings before seeing any physical change.
They may also be preoccupled with and secretive around food, and feel self-conscious about eating around others. Low self-esteem, irritability and mood swings, and feelings of guilt, shame, and anxiety, especially after a binge, are also common.
If someone's symptoms don't exactly match all the criteria used to diagnose bulimia-for example, if the binge/ purge cycles don't occur as frequently as may be expected-they might be diagnosed with OSFED (other specified feeding or eating disorder). OSFED is as serious as any other eating disorder and it's just as important that people suffering with it get treatment as quickly as possible. There are many different reasons that someone might develop bulimia, and many things that can be contributing factors.
It's important to remember that eating disorders are often not about food itself, and treatment should address the underlying thoughts and feelings that cause the behaviour. Bulimia can affect anyone of any age, though it typically develops during adolescence or early adulthood.
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| Treatment at the earliest possible opportunity gives the best chance of recovery from Bulimia |
It is also possible for someone to move between diagnoses if their symptoms change there is often a lot of overlap between different eating disorders. As such, bulimia may develop from another eating disorder, or a person's symptoms may change to better resemble those of another eating disorder.
If you're worried about yourself or someone you know, even if only some of the signs are present, you should still seek help immediately. The first step is usually to make an appointment with the GP.
Treatment for Bulimia
Bulimia (or bulimia nervosa) is a serious mental illness. It can affect anyone of any age, gender, or background. People with bulimia experience cycles of eating large quantities of food (called bingeing), and then trying to compensate for the binge by vomiting, taking laxatives or diuretics, fasting, or exercising excessively (called purging). You can read more about bulimia here.
Most treatment for bulimia will take place in outpatient services. Inpatient treatment is usually only necessary when someone is at risk of suicide or severe selfharm.
Therapy
Therapy can be recommended as part of the treatment for bulimia in order to tackle the underlying thoughts and feelings that cause the illness and encourage healthier ways of coping.
Therapies recommended to help treat bullmia might Include:
Evidence-based self-help, which will involve some of the same techniques you would learn in face-to-face therapy. Ideally this will be with support and encouragement from your healthcare team.
Cognitive behavioural therapy-Bulimla Nervosa (CBT-BN), CBT that has been adapted to suit the needs of people with bulimia.
Other therapies, such as interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), as an alternative to CBT.
CBT is likely to be recommended as part of your treatment, and may have positive results over a shorter course of treatment than other forms of therapy. However, if CBT isn't right for you, you can get good results through other therapies too.
