Bulimia nervosa: types, causes, symptoms, and treatment

Bulimia nervosa is a Eating Disorder whose main characteristic is that the person binges on food repeatedly followed by inappropriate compensatory behaviors to control weight (self-induced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives and enemas, diuretics, fasting, compulsive exercise, etc.), having the sensation of losing the control over food intake (not being able to control the amount or type of food being eaten) and extreme concern about shape and weight bodily.

This disease begins when the person decides to lose weight due to dissatisfaction with your body. In most cases, you start a diet and do not get the desired results and vomiting is presented as a perfect idea to eat without gaining weight. Bulimia nervosa affects more women than men and usually begins in late adolescence or early adulthood. In this Psychology-Online article we will learn more about the bulimina nervosa: types, causes, symptoms, and treatment.

Index

1. Types of bulimia nervosa
2. Symptoms of bulimia nervosa
3. Bulimia nervosa: causes
4. Consequences of bulimia nervosa
5. Treatment of bulimia nervosa

We will start this article by talking about the types of bulimia nervosa that exist. You have to know that, mainly, there are two:

• Purgative: The person uses as a compensatory method the induction of vomiting, the excessive use of laxatives, diuretics or enemas.
• Non-purgative: The person resorts to compensatory methods such as intense physical exercise or fasting but does not induce vomiting or overuse diuretics, laxatives or enemas.

There are some physical, emotional, and behavioral signs and symptoms that indicate that a person may have bulimia nervosa. On many occasions it can be difficult to distinguish whether it is a bulimia or an anorexia nervosa because both diseases have many similarities.

Two of the main similarities they present is that affect women much more than men and that there is a great obsession with thinness so they try to control body weight through different harmful methods. It is worth mentioning that the diagnosis must be made by a professional.

Between the signs and symptoms of bulimia nervosa are the following:

• Excessive fear of weight gain
• Dissatisfaction with silhouette and body weight
• Eating quickly and excessively in a very short period of time (binge eating)
• Overuse of laxatives, enemas, or diuretics after eating
• Making yourself vomit after each binge of food
• Exercising vigorously, especially after eating, to burn calories
• Worn tooth enamel due to constant contact of the teeth with stomach acid
• Sudden changes in body weight
• Sore throats caused by self-induction of vomiting
• Feeling out of control
• Depression and constant mood swings
• Swollen glands in the neck and face
• Puffy cheeks
• Irregular menstruation
• Fatigue and weakness
• Reflux and indigestion
• Low self-esteem

The exact cause is unknown of this condition, but there is much research that suggests that it is the interaction of multiple factors and different processes in constant interaction, it is not a unitary phenomenon. The factors that intervene to produce this disorder can be classified into:

Predisposing factors

They make people more vulnerable to developing a certain type of disease through the combination of individual, family and social characteristics. Among the predisposing factors are the following:

• Individual factors: Certain personality traits are related to this condition, such as low self-esteem, lack of autonomy, immaturity, perfectionism, shyness, depressive traits and obsessive behavior compulsive.
• Family factors: Common characteristics in the family of people with this condition. Some of them are difficulty in resolving conflicts, overprotection on the part of parents, poor communication between family members, a history of eating disorders in brothers or sisters, having suffered maltreatment or sexual abuse, family members who have suffered from depression and alcoholism.

Precipitating factors

They cause the disease to be triggered at a certain moment or before a certain type of circumstances that can become stressful. These factors include the following:

• The changes of puberty
• A previous somatic illness
• Starting a diet to lose weight
• Intense physical exercise
• Receive negative comments from family and / or friends due to weight gain
• Important life experiences, such as: change of residence, separation from parents, death of a loved one, birth of a sibling, etc.
• The first sexual experiences

Maintenance factors

Make that the nervous bulimin is maintained and lasts over time. This has to do mainly with the physical and emotional consequences of poor diet. Among these factors we can find the following:

• Lack of social contact (the person tends to become more and more isolated due to his physical and emotional problems) and this causes him to focus more on food, thinness and weight loss
• Psychological consequences of starvation
• The purgative methods, due to the security that gives you knowing that you can avoid gaining weight after a binge
• A society that places a very high value on thinness

The consequences that this type of condition brings with it vary depending on how long it has been maintained and the severity of the symptoms that each person presents. This disease can reach cause irreversible effects the person and it can even cause death if it is not treated properly, taking into account that the sooner it is attended to, the better the results will be.

Some consequences that it brings bulimia nervosa, are the following:

• Dental caries
• Rupture of the stomach and esophagus
• Electrolyte imbalance
• Dehydration
• Depression
• Increased risk of suicide
• Stomach ulcers
• Cardiovascular disorders that in severe cases can cause cardiac arrest
• Decreased libido
• Renal problems
• Growth stunting
• Osteoporosis
• Constipation

It is essential to overcome bulimia nervosa to start with a comprehensive treatment plan where different disciplines intervene, taking into account the individual situation and the severity of the disease. Treatment is aimed at trying to reestablish normal eating patterns and to treat psychological problems.

Below are the different strategies that are used to treat bulimia:

• Psychotherapy: It is necessary for the person to begin psychological treatment in order to alleviate the symptoms of bulimia as well as the various emotional problems and / or disorders related to disease. The therapy that has shown the best results is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which is mainly responsible for modify those negative thoughts and beliefs about food and change them for healthier and healthier ones adaptive. It is worth mentioning that on some occasions, especially if it is an adolescent and / or a minor, the family must also intervene and attend psychotherapy sessions to help them cope with this disease and better support the person they suffers from it.
• Medicines: For the treatment of this disease, the use of drugs such as antidepressants is common. Those used to treat this type of disorder are the so-called SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) which are of great help in combination with psychotherapy.
• Medical assistance and nutrition: It is necessary that the person, according to their individual needs and under the supervision of doctors, nutritionists and various health professionals begin to follow an eating plan in order to achieve a weight healthy.
• Hospitalization: In some cases it is necessary, especially if the disease is already very advanced and other serious health complications have arisen.

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

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