NERVOSA
By Analesa Dudley
Bulimia Nervosa
By Analesa Dudley
Bulimia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by eating large
amounts of food in one sitting (bingeing) followed by inappropriate methods
of ridding oneself of the food to prevent weight gain. People who suffer from
this disorder are usually within a few pounds of what is considered to be a
normal weight for their age and height. Very few people are obese and/or
overweight before engaging in Bulimic behavior.
Bulimia comes from an ancient Greek term meaning the hunger of an
ox. People with Bulimia consume large amounts of food rapidly and in
private they purge. There are many different ways that a person with
Bulimia would purge, use of diuretics, laxatives, fasting, and excessive
exercise name a few. However, 80-90% of people with this disorder use selfinduced vomiting to purge.
Binge eating is defined as an abnormally large amount of food
consumed in two hours or less. This would be more food than a person
would normally eat in the same amount of time. Snacking continuously is
known as grazing and would not be considered to be bingeing.
It is proven that binge eaters usually indulge in sweets and high calorie
foods. However, binge eating doesnt focus on the type of food it revolves
around the amount of food being consumed. During binge episodes a person
feels out of control. A person may also feel disconnected from their
surroundings. Between binges low calorie foods and drinks are used to
control weight.
Bulimia Nervosa Diagnostic Criteria as noted in the DSM-5 reads as
follows:
A. Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is
characterised by both of the following:
Eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g. within any 2-hour
period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than most
people would eat during a similar period of time and under
similar circumstances.
A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode (e.g.
a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how
much one is eating).
Long term effects of Bulimia Nervosa are serious. Some only affect your
appearance and others cause serious health complications. Listed below are
some of the long term effects of Bulimia Nervosa:
Damage to brain
Lazy Bowel Syndrome
Bulimia Teeth
Brittle Bones and Osteoporosis
Premature Ageing
Infertility
Brain Damage and Coma
Cancer
References:
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and
statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA:
American Psychiatric Publishing.
Inaba, Darryl, William E. Cohen, and Michael E. Holstein. Uppers, Downers,
All Arounders: Physical and Mental Effects of Psychoactive Drugs. Ashland,
OR: CNS Productions, 1993. Print
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