Bulimia Nervosa is the disorder that is characterised by when you binge uncontrollably and then purge to avoid the weight gain. This is done either by vomiting or consuming laxatives, and often occurs alongside other eating disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa. This cycle of bingeing and purging can severely threaten your wellness, and maybe even your life, as it can cause a dangerous electrolyte imbalance.
This psychological disease tends to occur more often in women than in men, meaning that any woman’s wellbeing is potentially at a 4% risk of developing Bulimia Nervosa throughout her lifetime, though it generally starts between the ages of 16 and 18. You’re more at risk to developing the disorder if you have a family history of psychiatric illness or a co-existing psychiatric problem. Also, if you or another close family member has suffered from depression, your risk of developing bulimia is increased.
Unless there are other complications from the disorder, you won’t need investigations such as blood tests to diagnose this bulimia. However, unless you come forward even your close family or friends might not be able to see any unusual signs. Though the prognosis for people with this disease is better than for anorexia nervosa, 40% of patients don’t recover so the earlier you come forward the better. This statistic may be even higher, as it depends on people coming forward for diagnosis and treatment and so there could be more sufferers of the disease out there.
When it comes to treatment, you won’t have to be admitted to hospital unless your wellness is suffering from an electrolyte disturbance that can be induced by long-term vomiting and diarrhoea, as these are the complications of bulimia that threaten your life. The treatment is psychotherapeutic, and tends to focus on breaking the binge-purge cycles. To maximise on the benefits of treatment, it will probably be best if you have this psychotherapy in a number of settings. A combination of individual and group psychotherapy is a proven way to improve the outcome of patients with bulimia nervosa, as well as with the use of anti-depressants such as fluoxetine, in combination with this psychotherapy.
Comments are closed.