Recognising Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia is one of the most common eating disorders, and to get effective treatment you need to recognise it before it gets too serious

Bulimia is one of the most common and widely spread eating disorders, although most statistics revolving these conditions are extremely inaccurate on the number of bulimia sufferers. The reason for this is that a lot of people suffering from bulimia are ashamed to admit they have this eating disorder, or even worse, they simply don't realize they have a problem. For this reason, bulimia is one of the hardest eating disorders to diagnose as a sufferer will quite rarely "hand himself in" to the doctor, admitting he has a problem. It's oftentimes up to the family and friends of that particular person to discover the condition, that's why each and every one of us should know the basics on how to spot and diagnose bulimia before reporting it to a doctor that can take the adequate measures.

First of all, let's start with the definition of bulimia: an eating disorder where the sufferer engages in often uncontrollable binge eating (overeating) followed by intentional purging through either vomiting, enemas, laxatives, diuretics or several other similar purging methods. Obviously, if you find a family member or friend consequently purging himself after meals, this might be a solid sign that he might suffer from some form of bulimia.

Additionally, bulimia has a very powerful emotional component. In most cases, the periods of binge eating are driven by emotional problems (affective issues, family problems, stress, social unfitting, body image distortion, etc) and in turn, they cause other emotional problems. For example, most bulimia sufferers feel guilty about what they do and a state of depression falls in after each overeating or purging session. However, if someone close to you is consequently moody, depressed and emotionally "down", this does not automatically mean he has bulimia, since this state can be caused by several factors. However, it's also one of the main signs of this particular eating disorder, so keep your eye out for any other signs.

Lastly, bulimia sufferers will inevitably change body weight and proportions drastically, over short periods of time. They may even alternate periods of being overweight due to extreme binge overeating with periods of being underweight due to extreme intentional purging. In any case, a radical change in body proportions in a short time is often the effect of an eating disorder, even if it might not be bulimia in particular.

These four elements, intentional purging, overeating, depression (or radical mood swings) and drastic weight loss/gain are the easiest way to spot bulimia in someone. If you find yourself performing or having one of these elements, or if you see someone close to you doing so, appointing a meeting with a doctor is probably the wisest thing you can do. Although these symptoms don't automatically mean you're a chronic bulimia sufferer, the eating disorder is obviously hatching and ready for a full assault. Don't let yourself or your close ones fall victims of this terrible eating disorder, since if left untreated, it may have devastating effects to the body and eventually lead to death.