Consequences of bulimia nervosa and how to treat it

Bulimia or bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by because people who suffer from it carry out extreme behaviors that affect their physical health and mental. People with this disease tend to binge on food frequently where they eat large amounts of food in a short period of time. Bulimia nervosa can lead to seriously affect physical and psychological health of the person who suffers from it, so it is very important to treat it as soon as possible.

This type of disorder affects more women than men and occurs mainly in adolescence. In this article from Psychology-Online: consequences of bulimia, we are going to know in detail everything related to this type of eating disorder and above all we will focus on its consequences.

Index

1. Symptoms of bulimia nervosa
2. Long-term consequences of bulimia
3. How to treat bulimia nervosa

People with bulimia nervosa have a constant worry about your physical appearance

In order to know what the consequences of bulimia are, it is also necessary to know what are the main symptoms that make it evident.

Behavioral symptoms

• Constant bingeing on food. People who suffer from this disease usually eat an exaggerated amount of food in a period of time short time due to the excessive anxiety they feel, so at that moment they cannot stop eat. They binge on 2 or more times a week.
• Use of laxatives. Due to the concern they have about gaining weight, after having binged on food, they feel enormous guilt for having done it and decide to “fix it”, using laxative techniques such as self-inducing vomiting, taking laxatives, diuretics and drugs constantly, as well as some of them often resort to practice of exaggerated physical exercise.

Psychological symptoms

• Low self-esteem. People with bulimia have a marked low self-esteem so they value themselves little and do not look out for their own well-being.
• Impulsiveness. They are extremely impulsive and have poor control of their own impulses, so they tend to act without thinking most of the time.
• Humor changes. Due to the physical and psychological problems they present, their mood is very changeable.
• Depression and anxiety. It is very common that at a certain moment, if they do not manage to treat their condition and the symptoms associated with it in time, some disorders such as anxiety and depression may appear.

Physical symptoms

• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Hair loss
• Problems with the menstrual cycle
• Tiredness and physical exhaustion
• Constant changes in body weight
• Gastrointestinal disorders
• Dehydration
• Swelling of the cheeks or jaw

If bulimia nervosa is not treated in time by a professionalIt can have serious consequences for the person who suffers from it. These are the main consequences that bulimia brings.

• Stomach damage caused by overeating.
• Tooth decay due to large amounts of vomiting
• Dehybridization which can lead to severe kidney problems
• Difficulty getting pregnant
• Amenorrhea
• Heart attacks or heart failure caused by electrolyte imbalance in the body that can lead to death.
• Peptic ulcers and pancreatitis
• Damage to the intestinal walls
• Reduction in bone density (osteoporosis)
• Muscular weakness

The treatment of bulimia nervosa must be multidisciplinary in order to finish all physical problems and psychological presented by the affected person. In the case of psychological treatment, the main objective of this, is that the person manages to increase their self-esteem and likewise love her and acceptance for herself so that she begins to care about her own health and well-being, both physical and psychological. Once the person is able to start caring for himself through self-acceptance and self-respect, the more likely she will decide to adopt a healthy lifestyle. While working with the psychological aspect, the patient has to follow the pharmacological treatment indicated by the other professionals as well as a new healthy diet.

Pharmacological treatment is in charge of treating the physical problems that the person presents, some of greater severity than others, also depending on the particular case and the time that it has been with this disease. It is necessary to mention that sometimes psychological treatment is accompanied by the use of certain drugs in its most antidepressants to help regulate the person's mood and relieve depression that can introduce. They also usually prescription anxiolytics to reduce the levels of anxiety associated with the impulsive behavior that it presents.

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.

If you want to read more articles similar to Consequences of bulimia, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.

1. Office on women's health. (s.f.). Bulimia nervosa Retrieved December 15, 2018, from https://espanol.womenshealth.gov/mental-health/mental-health-conditions/eating-disorders/bulimia-nervosa
2. MSD manual version for professionals. (s.f.). Bulimia nervosa - Psychiatric disorders. Retrieved December 15, 2018, from https://www.msdmanuals.com/es-es/professional/trastornos-psiqui%C3%A1tricos/trastornos-de-la-conducta-alimentaria/bulimia-nerviosa