...People with bulimia nervosa consume large amounts of food and then rid their bodies of the excess calories by vomiting, abusing laxatives or diuretics, taking enemas, or exercising obsessively. Some use a combination of all these forms of purging. Because many individuals with bulimia "binge and purge" in secret and maintain normal or above normal body weight, they can often successfully hide their problem from others for years. Lisa developed bulimia nervosa at 18. Like Deborah, her strange eating behavior began when she started to diet. She too dieted and exercised to lose weight, but unlike Deborah, she regularly ate huge amounts of food and maintained her normal weight by forcing herself to vomit. Lisa often felt like an emotional powder keg--angry, frightened, and depressed. Unable to understand her own behavior, she thought no one else would either. She felt isolated and lonely. Typically, when things were not going well, she would be overcome with an uncontrollable desire for sweets. She would eat pounds of candy and cake at a time, and often not stop until she was exhausted or in severe pain. Then, overwhelmed with guilt and disgust, she would make herself vomit. Her eating habits so embarrassed her that she kept them secret until, depressed by her mounting problems, she attempted suicide. Fortunately, she didn't succeed. While recuperating in the hospital, she was referred to an eating disorders clinic where she became involved in group therapy. There she received...
Words: 385 - Pages: 2
...Bulimia Nervosa There is much mental illness out there and many of them are very serious but some of them can be cured or reduced Much mental illness can start from the person as a kid to adult hood. If that person never gets help or treated it is hard to cure them. The only way to get help or get diagnosed is to see a health professional. A mental illness can sometimes be cured; it all depends on which disease the person has. Then on the other hand some of them can never be cured, but can be treated. One of the mental illnesses that can be treated and sometimes cured is bulimia nervosa. This is an eating disorder. Bulimia nervosa is when a person has episodes of excessive eating which is called (bingeing) this is followed by inappropriate methods of controlling the weight such as self inducing vomiting (purging) abuse of laxatives and diuretics or even excessive exercise. Sometimes people do this after many attempts of trying to diet. The history of bulimia nervosa is that it comes from the creek word meaning nervous ox hunger. Bulimia was first described in the medical literature in 1979.Though overeating is mentioned in creek mythology. In the late 1979 they still did not have very good treatment for this disease. Well let’s put it this way, they did not have any kind of treatment available to the patients with this illness. The sign and symptoms of bulimia is when you see a person going into the...
Words: 618 - Pages: 3
...Anorexia and Bulimia Anorexia and bulimia are not just eating disorders, they are serious diseases that carry consequential side effects, and sometimes even death. Individuals who suffer from these eating disorders can see serious effects on their health, productivity, and relationships. These diseases are at times pushed off by family and friends because it is hard to detect the severity or signs of these diseases. The signs to these diseases can often imitate other conditions that are harmless, which makes it extremely important to know all the signs. Anorexia and bulimia affect one's health, both mentally and physically. A sign that someone's mental health is being affected by anorexia or bulimia is their social behavior. A quick change in friends or family members that a person usually associates with is a sign that social behavior is changing. This may be because he/she does not want others to see or catch onto his/hers eating habits. Another sign that someone's social behavior changing is isolating themselves in a room or home, and not having contact with others they would on a normal basis. About 50% of all anorexia and bulimia sufferers have a mental anxiety disorder, such as depression. People with depression and anorexia or bulimia, may suffer from moodiness, increased irritability, loss of interest in food or sex, being awake throughout the night, and fatigue. Physical health is probably the most distinguishable sign of an eating disorder. Anorexia sufferers...
Words: 1099 - Pages: 5
...Anorexia & Bulimia Every night, in every country of the world, both males and females cry themselves to sleep. Some even wish they were dead rather than suffer with poor self-image and the belief of being overweight. People that have this problem may have a disease known as Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa. Anorexia and Bulimia are serious eating disorders that have similarities and differences including symptoms, causes and treatments. Anorexia Nervosa is classified as an emotional disorder characterized by refusal to maintain a healthy body weight, an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted body image. People with Anorexia starve themselves to dangerously thin levels. This means at least 15% below their appropriate weight. There are two types of anorexia, restricting and purging. Restricting type anorexia achieves weight loss by restricting calories. This can include drastic diets, fasting and exercising obsessively. The other type of anorexia is the purging type. Purging type anorexia achieves weight loss by vomiting and using laxatives and diuretics. Many girls think that they have to be supermodel thin because of the media. When girls read magazines like People, Vogue, Maxim and Seventeen, they get the idea that they are not as thin as they should be. They develop a distorted self-image because they believe they should be what society wants them to be. In most cases, they do not see themselves as they really are. Bulimia Nervosa is an illness where you...
Words: 1128 - Pages: 5
...Bulimia Nervosa – The issues – Nutrition problem Bulimia is an eating disorder, when you eat a lot of food and then allow a short amount of time before forcing your body to regurgitate it out, normally by vomiting however, sometimes by taking a laxative or excessive exercise. Bulimia usually comes with anorexia or large stints of time with out eating. This happens when the victim is suffering under extreme anxiety to keep the body under a self-inflicted weight. If this continues over a long period of time there can be potassium loss and health deterioration. Bulimia typically comes with depressive symptoms also many individuals who have Bulimia also have a psychiatric disorder. There is a lot of research and it is strongly believed that Bulimia is genetic. Adolescent women are mainly at risk as 95 % of people with Bulimia are women. One of the biggest causes of bulimia nervosa is social media; the media portrays this idea of a perfect body. Scientist argue that extreme concern with body shape mixed with depression and anxiety can result in strict and crazy dieting. Another cause is the driving to be thin, like a model. People driving to look and feel what the media portrays as this ideal beautiful people are binging on food and then regurgitate it up. The treatments for Bulimia nervosa one is; Psychotherapy and psychosocial therapy. Psychotherapy for bulimia mainly focus’s on the goal which helps the patient figure out the current and personal problems that are...
Words: 1027 - Pages: 5
...include anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder that involves recurring episodes of uncontrollable, excessive eating, which is following my compensatory actions to remove the food. For example, someone with bulimia nervosa would deliberately vomit, abuse laxatives, and/or excessively exercise to remove the food from their body. Anorexia nervosa is also an eating disorder, but it is characterized by recurrent food refusal that eventually leads to dangerously low body weight. In the supplemental article on these two eating disorders, the authors explored the extent to which anorexia and bulimia represented culture-bound syndromes, which is defined as a collection...
Words: 597 - Pages: 3
...Bulimia in Teens Introduction Eating disorders can take a devastating toll on the lives of many people. This is especially true for teenagers. Many teens, especially girls, develop eating disorders. It is important to understand the causes, symptoms, consequences, and treatment for these types of illnesses’. One of the most common eating disorders in teens is bulimia nervosa. Bulimia nervosa (bulimia) is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder. People with bulimia nervosa may binge and purge, eating large amounts of food and then try to get rid of the extra calories in an unhealthy way. For example, someone with bulimia nervosa may force themselves to vomit or do excessive exercise. If you have bulimia nervosa, you are probably preoccupied with your weight and body shape, and may judge yourself severely and harshly for your self-perceived flaws. Causes The exact cause of bulimia is unknown. As with other mental illnesses, there are many possible factors that could play a role in the development of eating disorders such as bulimia. Genetic, psychological, trauma, family, society, or cultural factors may play a role. Eating disorders like bulimia are more likely to occur in people who have parents or siblings with an eating disorder. Girls and women are more likely to have bulimia than boys and men. Age may play a role in who is affected. Bulimia often begins in late adolescence or early adulthood. The illness is more common in college students...
Words: 1521 - Pages: 7
...Eating disorders are eating habits that affect the mental and physical health of the body. Eating habits include insufficient food intake or excessive food intake. One of the most common forms of eating disorders is bulimia nervosa. Bulimia can be classified in two categories, purging bulimia and non-purging bulimia. Purging bulimia is when an individual forces himself or herself to vomit by drug misuse or by sticking their fingers into their throat to get out the food they had just binged on. Other ways one might try to quickly lose calories and stop weight gain include “fasting, strict dieting or excessive exercise” (Mayo Clinic Staff). However, trying to lose calories with either one of these methods is commonly known as purging, even if...
Words: 723 - Pages: 3
...At age 23, Jack Harper, the author of “How Being a Guy Stopped Me Getting the Support and Help I Needed to Recover from Bulimia,” decided to lose the weight he had gained while he was in college. Being a perfectionist, he quickly stressed himself out as he wanted to perfect everything, even dieting. Problematically, the more restrictions he set for himself, the more he wanted food causing him to soon become obsessed over the amount of food he ate and the calories he consumed. Eventually, he resorted to depriving himself of food until one day a colleague of his brought in a bag of treats. When Harper realised he ate too much, he panicked and engrossed himself in bulimic behaviours which eventually, overtime, became more frequent and part of...
Words: 560 - Pages: 3
...Bulimia Nervosa Psychology 101 Abstract This research paper will deliver information about bulimia. It will provide and support people who have bulimia. It will analyze the causes and effects of this disorder. There will be a verification of treatments for bulimic disorder. This research will pinpoint anyone who shows symptoms of bulimia. It will clarify how it is essential for family members and friends to provide assistance when needed to restrain bulimia. The study will give guidance on the available treatments offered to the public. It will provide the symptoms a person might encounter that have bulimia. It will consist of the danger that could accelerate the chances of developing bulimia. The data given will help the researchers to pass it on a clinical psychologist that will decide if the person shows up positive with bulimia. Bulimia Nervosa Bulimia nervosa can be defined as an eating disorder described by constant binge eating and consuming a lot of calories immediately followed by vomiting or purging. People with bulimia are difficult to be recognized because the eating and purging is done in private. Also, they can maintain a normal healthy weight, so it is not noticeable at first glance. A bulimic can take in an excessive amounts of food within a short period of time. The person loses control and it is estimated that about 3,400 calories was consumed roughly over an hour and to make matters worse about 20,000 calories can be eaten by in eight hours. (Psychology...
Words: 1401 - Pages: 6
...Overview of Bulimia Nervosa Bulimia Nervosa (BN) is one of the leading eating disorders worldwide alongside anorexia nervosa and continues to pose a major health threat as sufferers experience psychological and medical symptoms that most often lead to complications (Le Grange & Lock, 2007, p. 4). One of these complications is the tendency of bulimic patients to commit suicide because of aggravating sense of despair and loss of hope. According to Pompili, Girardi, Ruberto & Tatarelli (2006), “suicide in anoxeria nervosa and bulimia nervosa is a major cause of death” (p. 1). Aside from suicide, one of the disturbing realities about bulimia nervosa is how it tends to affect women and adolescents. The usual onset or starting point of bulimia is set at adolescence (Le Grange & Lock, 2007, p. 3) when young adults are starting to form their own self-identity, a process tied to the notion of body image. The seriousness of bulimia nervosa compels one to understand the ‘entire story’ of this eating disorder that includes knowing its history and nature, the etiology, symptoms and prognosis as well as the innovative treatments that have emerged in the recent years that can solve the case and problem that is bulimia nervosa. Bulimia Nervosa: At a Glance Characteristics and symptoms often associated to BN are known to have existed and observed in the ancient times. Emperors Claudius and Vitellius of ancient Rome are found to have exhibited the typical features of bulimia nervosa...
Words: 2254 - Pages: 10
...Bulimia Memoir reflection paper As an undergraduate student of Abnormal Psychology class, I have read an article about Bulimia Memoir. This article is about the true story of Carly Morgan who had experienced Bulimia. As I started to read this article, I could feel how hard it is to be bulimic. During my high school year, I met a friend who was struggling with bulimic just like Carly in this article. She was one of my best buddies during my high school year so she told me a lot of troubles that she went through. I could have understood better about bulimics based on the knowledge that I acquired from my friend’s experience. This reflection will relate how I think about the bulimia. To begin with, I tried to search for the abnormal behaviors in Carly’s life. From her life, I have found many abnormal behaviors from Carly’s life. I have found her distress from her life. When she was seventh grade, her arms, legs, and stomach got fatter instead of her desirable locations. Moreover, because of these unusual growths, everyone looked at her and whispered about her. Even if I was Carly, I would get offended and stressed. The other abnormal behavior was found when she was in 8th grade. She tried to be on a diet but fails to do it due to her lack of self-control. As a result of her giving up on diet, she no longer sees boy that she had been seeing because she felt that she is not cool enough to hang out with them. This could continue to keep her from getting along with other friends...
Words: 684 - Pages: 3
...Bulimia Nervosa 2 As many know the definition of Bulimia Nervosa is an illness in which a person binges on food or has regular episodes of overeating and feels loss of control. The person uses different methods such as vomiting or abusing laxatives to prevent weigh gain . Many people who suffer from this illness also have anorexia nervosa, but not all are in this statistic (“Bulimia,2012). Bulimia effects more women then it does men and this illness is more common in adolescent girls and young women. Usually the affected person is aware that their eating pattern is abnormal and may have a feeling of guilt or fear with the binge-purge episodes (“Bulimia,2012). The majority of the time the exact cause of bulimia is unknown genetic, psychological, trauma, family, society, or cultural factors can play a role. This is likely due to more than one factor. Bulimia Nervosa is derived from the Greek boulimia; ravenous hunger, a compound of bous, ox-limos, hunger ( “Bulimia Nervosa Background and History”, N.D.). Romans were known to tickle their throats with feathers after each meal they consumed to induce vomiting which aloud them to return to a gluttonous feasting. They did this to enhance the enjoyment...
Words: 1326 - Pages: 6
...“Running Head: Literature Review: BULIMIA NERVOSA \ Literature Review: Bulimia Nervosa BACKGROUND Bulimia nervosa is an illness defined by food binges, or recurrent episodes of significant overeating, that are accompanied by a sense of loss of control (Medical Encyclopedia ) 90 percent of people with bulimia are women; but bulimia affects people from all walks of life, including males, women of color, and even older women. (Wolfe 2007). My research will concentrate on young women who suffer from the disease. This concern came about after a close family member was diagnosed two years ago and now suffers extensively with multiple organs in her body being affected. My research with try to uncover the cause that leads to the disorder, the conditions that are associated and they avenues that can be used to overcome and lead a normal life that takes the focus off size and image and focus on achievement of self worth. LITERATURE Twelve forms of sources were used for this investigate research of bulimia nervosa. The sources included a telephone interview with, Beth Brown from Brooklyn, NY, the mother of the young lady who inspired by researching this disease. Ten articles that were retrieved from the internet after using bulimia nervosa as the phrase on several search engines and two articles that were biographies written by suffers of bulimia. Two of the articles came from MedicineNet.com. The first outlined and defined causes, diagnoses, complications and...
Words: 1216 - Pages: 5
...Bulimia Effects on Women Millions of people suffer from eating disorders, but most of them are women. Out of eight million people with an eating disorder seven million of them are women, only one million are men according to eating disorder statistics. Bulimia is one the most common eating disorders. These diseases have effects on both men and women, but women are most likely to suffer long term damage from Bulimia. A lot of women want to have children one day; eating disorders can make that not possible in the long run and comes with complications. For those women who want to have children, they need to be aware of the issues when trying to conceive. Some long term effects Bulimia has in women are low sex drive, infertility, and birth defects. Even when having bulimia, it can be possible that a woman can have a child, but what if they do not have a high sex drive. This can be a bad thing for a woman when she is trying to conceive. She needs to be able to have a sex at the right time to get pregnant. What if on the day she is ovulating she does not have the energy to have sex, or she just cannot. Having a low sex drive can also be a bad in other ways. A lot of people have sex to relieve stress, for pleasure, and feel a connection with their partner. Sometimes sex is use to bring back confidence. Having a low sex drive can cause problems in relationships too. The man in her life might think that he is the reason she do not want to have sex. He does not know that having a low...
Words: 788 - Pages: 4
