Overview

An eating disorder is a compulsion to eat, or avoid eating, that negatively affects both one's physical and mental health. Eating disorders are all encompassing. They affect every part of the person's life. According to the authors of Surviving an Eating Disorder, "feelings about work, school, relationships, day-to-day activities and one's experience of emotional well being are determined by what has or has not been eaten or by a number on a scale." Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are the most common eating disorders generally recognized by medical classification schemes, with a significant diagnostic overlap between the two. Together, they affect an estimated 5-7% of females in the United States during their lifetimes. There is a third type of eating disorder currently being investigated and defined - Binge Eating Disorder. This is a chronic condition that occurs when an individual consumes huge amounts of food during a brief period of time and feels totally out of control and unable to stop their eating. It can lead to serious health conditions such as morbid obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Bulimia Nervosa and Breaking the Cycle of Overeating and Purging

Bulimia nervosa is the eating disorder that deals with overeating. This usually leads to feelings of guilt and discomfort. In order to ease these feelings, the person suffering from this eating disorder purges by vomiting and using laxatives in order to get rid of the excess calories brought about by overeating. Bulimia nervosa is a serious condition as all eating disorders are because it is not only the physical condition of the person suffering from this disorder that is affected but the mind as well because of the extreme guilt and shame brought about by disorder. The episodes of uncontrollable need to eat may not be easy to overcome for the person suffering from bulimia and because most persons going through this kind of eating disorder become ashamed of what they do, they go through great lengths to hide their overeating and purging at all cost.

Because of the uncontrollable want to consume more food, people suffering from bulimia nervosa usually go through crash diets which only make them want to eat even more Because they restrict themselves from eating, what happens is that they succumb to overeating once the urge begins. When the person with bulimia decides to eat, the tendency is for them to feel as though they are total failures and they resolve to purge so as to make up for eating too much. In this case, purging becomes the way out for the person with the disorder as soon as another episode of overeating starts. They usually think that because they can make themselves lose the extra calories by purging it, they tend to lose their control over themselves even more.

Bulimia is commonly caused by poor body image, low self-esteem, dieting, major life changes, and biological factors. People with bulimia need professional help to overcome their unusual habit of overeating. The eating disorder treatment that is advised for this eating disorder involves the process of psychotherapy. The usual treatment choice for bulimia is the cognitive-behavior therapy which triggers the unhealthy eating habits and the negative thoughts that accompanies it. The eating disorder treatment for bulimia consists of breaking the cycle of bingeing and purging and changing unhealthy patterns based on weight.

In the phase of breaking the cycle of overeating and purging, the eating disorder treatment by therapy allows the restoration of normal eating patterns by stopping the vicious cycle of bingeing and purging. People suffering from bulimia learn to monitor their eating habits and avoid situations that may cause them to overeat again. When it comes to changing unhealthy thoughts and patterns pertaining to one s weight, the person is taught to explore the connection between eating and self-worth so as to get rid of the idea that everything about them refers to how much they weigh and what their body looks like. Interpersonal and family therapy can also be helpful for people going through this eating disorder. This is because the support coming from family members and friends can help resolve their interpersonal issues and may help them overcome it.

Bulimia is a condition that needs immediate treatment. For people undergoing this kind of eating disorder, the help and acceptance of the family and friends are very important While most people undergoing bulimia needs constant reassurance because of the guilt and shame they feel because of overeating, it is also important to seek medical and professional help to overcome their condition.



Autor: Jeffry Ryan

After years of struggling to control my eating disorder I found a treatment that worked. I am now trying to share this brilliant method with the world.


Added: January 13, 2010
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

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