Symptoms of Bulimia
Do you or someone you care about suffer from Bulimia Nervosa?
- Repeated episodes of binge eating
- Loss of control over eating.
- Use of “compensatory behaviours” to avoid weight gain including excessive exercise, vomiting, laxative or diuretic abuse or use of enemas
- Both the binge eating and compensatory behaviours occur at least once a week for three months.
- Weight and/or body shape is of great significance to self-esteem
- Purging (vomiting, laxative or diuretic abuse are all very dangerous and can lead to electrolyte imbalance and, ultimately, heart failure. Even coming off them unsupervised can have fatal consequences.
The Dangers of Bulimia and the Need for Professional Help
Just to make life more complicated, people can move from one eating disorder to another and the wrong kind of treatment can lead to other significant health problems. This is why working with a professional is so very important: each disorder carries their unique challenges and require different approaches.
If you, or someone you care about, is suffering from bulimia it is very distressing. It can severely impact your/their self-esteem, social life, relationships and, last but not least, health.
Eating disorders can persist for years untreated, during which time they take a stronger hold. The longer they are left untreated, the more stubborn they are to treat and the longer it takes to recover. So, early intervention will serve you better.
Recovery from Bulimia
What is most important is to work to ensure recovery, not just in the short-term but for life. This will entail changing the relationship with food, nutritional rehabilitation, psychological support, developing life skills so that the disorder is not the point of refuge in times of challenge. Maintenance and lapse-prevention are also significant factors. In addition, helping to develop a life outside of the disorder will be an important part of recovery.
In treatment you can expect to be guided and supported through the bulimia, feeling heard and understood, so you come out the other side stronger, wiser, more confident and healthier, both mentally and physically.
Professional Help
As a Master Practitioner of Eating Disorders and a nutritionist, I have been working with individuals, from teenagers to adults, for many years. I use an integrative approach, empowering sufferers to have a healthy relationship with food, develop insight into the bulimia, what is keeping them stuck and help them move beyond it, step by step, feeling safe and supported.
Recovery requires professional help. If you want help for bulimia, do pick up the phone for a free, no-obligation chat to find out how I can help you. I can be reached on 0345 130 0854. Or you can get in touch here.
A full list available from https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm