WHAT IS BULIMIA?
This term originates from Greek word which means hunger or fasting, commonly known as bulimia nervosa. The problem is defined as a disease of hunger for getting rid of excess calories from body to maintain weight that causes serious health related problems by affecting the nervous system of body. The disease was first diagnosed and named by Gerald Russell a British psychiatrist in1979 and referred as a habitual disorder in eating behavior, distinguishes by intake of excessive amount of food high in calorie count and pursued by forced vomiting and doing vigorous physical workouts to prevent weight gain.
According to the health experts and medical practitioners it is a life threatening and unhealthy way of eating in which an inappropriate method of controlling weight is practiced by eating excess amount of food in very short period of time. People after binge eating, purge, take laxatives and diuretics or do exercises, sometimes the person take a small snack or fast for long time duration. Psychologically it is the disorder of food intake due to dissatisfaction related to the self image of an individual and lead to serious health problems by reducing the amount of potassium in the body. Bulimia is categorize in purging and non purging, in purging self induced vomiting, laxatives, diuretics or enema are followed while in non purging weight is reduced by starving, controlling diet and exercising.
As per reported by a research 90-95% of bulimia sufferer includes women and the National Health Service of UK stated that 8% of females have had or will have the problem of eating disorder sometime in their life.
SIGNS AND SYMPTONS OF BULIMIA:
The major symptoms of this psychological problem is binge eating that involves consumption of high calories food in enormous amount as this obsession for food is uncontrollable and the sufferer eat again and again without any need to eat. Other symptoms may include take out the eaten food by forced vomiting, eating too much frequently, over exercising, depression, anxiety, isolation, throat infection due to forced vomiting, irregular menstrual cycle in females and problem of excess weight.
CAUSES OF BULIMIA:
According to the researches and clinical studies conducted by experts, they conclude that this eating disturbance is caused by various factors like environment, genetics and self image dissatisfaction. The National Alliance on mental illness of USA has stated that it may also caused if there is an eating disorder in family history but the Psychiatric Association is not agreed to this, they strongly opposes the point by saying that people with no prior family history are also affected. People abused physically or sexually by the other members of society are among the common victims of this problem. Traumatic or stressful incidents and mental disorders play key part in triggering the cause of bulimia.
TREATMENT FOR BULIMIA:
It is difficult to overcome this habitual and painstaking disorder. Bulimia treatment options include medication, healthy and balanced diet plan with psychological sessions. The latest scientific studies prove that it can ideally be treated by combination of psychotherapy counseling with family and patient, medication and nutritional procedure. During the psychotherapy session the psychotherapist mainly works on analyzing the thoughts, emotions and behavior of the sufferer whereas the medication and nutritional diet intake work for the proper functioning of body parts.