People suffering from bulimia are trying to control your weight, regular overeating, and then purifying the body from ingested, causing vomiting or taking laxatives. Like other eating disorders, bulimia has deep psychological roots.

Symptoms

• Overeating

Regular consumption of high-calorie foods in quantities exceeding necessary, is the main symptom of bulimia. The patient may have regardless of hunger or satiety. The habit of overeating can begin to develop as an attempt to cope with emotional problems, but quickly becomes compulsive and out of control.

Patients with bulimia eat large amounts of food in a short period of time, and then can feel good. Individual episodes of overeating are not a symptom of bulimia; when it comes to disease, overeating happens regularly.

Sometimes overeating is spontaneous - a person simply begins to eat everything edible that is at hand. In some cases, patients specifically buying products which then consume; As a rule, they do it alone Loneliness - this is not new, or why am I still alone? .

• Cleansing

Cleansing is the answer to overeating. After a binge person feels thick (regardless of the actual weight), unattractive; for many patients is characterized by a sense of guilt, regret and self-loathing. However, the main impetus for cleansing provides a strong fear intense fear of gaining weight. The majority of patients to cleanse cause vomiting or take laxatives. Some have resorted to a grueling workout, starvation, and receiving stimulants, including illegal.

For patients with bulimia nervosa are characterized by low self-esteem, inability to adequately assess their weight, depression, anxiety, guilt. Many of them are partially terminated social contacts, no longer interested in what used to bring joy. At this stage, the patient is not always able to understand the seriousness of their condition and seek qualified help.

Causes

To develop bulimia causes a range of problems, the most obvious and common of which are:

• Low self-esteem. The patient can assume that he is not good in itself, and believe that losing weight will help him gain confidence in themselves and become more attractive and more successful.
• Depression. Overeating for many people, it becomes a way to feel, at least temporarily, happier. Bulimia occurs when a person resorts to this method regularly. However depression Depression   It does not help to cope either overeating or cleansing, or even losing weight - if it still happens.
• Stress. In some cases, bulimia develops after a severe event in the life of the patient - for example, the death of a loved one or a divorce. Pleasant events such as marriage, too, sometimes cause stress that leads to bulimia. Physical illness suffered by rape, the presence of problems in the past that haunt - all of this can also be a direct or indirect cause of bulimia.
• Other health problems that sometimes lead to eating disorders - obsessive-compulsive disorder, post traumatic stress, and various personality disorders.
• Cultural and social pressure. The desire to conform to generally accepted standards of beauty leads to the road of dangerous methods of weight loss many women (but not only them).
• Puberty. Hormonal changes and stress, typical of this period, sometimes become a cause of bulimia.
• Genetics. Scientists suggest that there are genetic factors that predispose to the development of bulimia. So, the chance of developing bulimia is especially great for people whose relatives suffer from this disorder.

Diagnostics

Access to a doctor when bulimia is for many a very difficult step. Often, patients hide their problem for years before deciding to ask for help - or before the need for such assistance does not become apparent to those close to them.

Typically, bulimia diagnosed based on history and the results of interviews with a psychiatrist and / or a clinical psychologist. In the absence of signs of severe depletion of the special tests are not required.

Psychological treatment

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy

It is the most common form of psychological treatment of bulimia. Treatment consists of discussions with a psychotherapist and a detailed review of their own emotions and their causes, to develop a new way of acting in different situations. Sometimes the patient is asked to keep a diary to identify trigger overeating.

• Interpersonal psychotherapy

During this therapy, the patient also communicates regularly with a therapist, but here the focus is the patient's personal relationships that might lead to problems with eating. This type of psychotherapy can be assigned if the patient has recently gone through a divorce or have taken place in his life other major changes.

Medicines

In some cases, the treatment of bulimia is assigned to reception of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) - antidepressants. The most common SSRIs, which is prescribed to patients with bulimia - fluoxetine.

The action of SSRIs, like any other antidepressant becomes noticeable after a few weeks of starting treatment. Start the patient takes a small dose, then the dose is gradually increased. Since not all patients tolerate antidepressants, during treatment should be screened regularly.

SSRIs are prescribed to patients with epilepsy, as well as those in whose history has heart disease, liver or kidney problems.

In some dangerous complications may require hospitalization of patients with bulimia. It may also be necessary if the patient is prone to self-harm or suicidal behavior.

Restoration

To process recovery of bulimia could be considered successful, the patient should:

• Change eating habits;
• Change your attitude in the food;
• If necessary - gradually and in a healthy weight gain.

The longer a person suffered from bulimia, the more difficult it will be to go recovery. Most people cure comes unstable, at least with a few failures.

Complications

Bulimia can cause the following complications:

• Dental problems. Frequent vomiting causes that the gastric juice erodes tooth enamel;
• Irregular menstrual cycles;
• The poor condition of the skin and hair Hair: structure, characteristics of growth and development   due to lack of nutrients;
• Inflammation of the salivary glands;
• Chemical imbalance in the body;
• Problems with the bowels;
• Problems with the heart. Typically, they can develop if bulimia not treated for a long time.

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