What is Bulimia Nervosa?

Harmful methods of weight control include vomiting, fasting, enemas, excessive use of laxatives and diuretics, or compulsive exercising.

Excessive shape and weight concerns are also characteristics of bulimia nervosa. A binge is an episode where an individual eats a much larger amount of food than most people would in a similar situation.

Binge eating is usually a response to depression, stress, or self esteem issues. During the binge episode, the individual experiences a loss of control. However, the sense of a loss of control is also followed by a short-lived calmness. The calmness is often followed by self-loathing. The cycle of overeating and purging usually becomes an obsession and is repeated often.

What are the signs?

A person with this eating disorder may be thin, overweight, or normal weight. This makes it hard to know if someone is bulimic.

But there are warning signs to look out for. Someone who is bulimic may do extreme things to lose weight, such as:

using diet pills, or taking pills to urinate or have a bowel movement going to the bathroom all the time after eating (to throw up) exercising too much, even when hurt or tired

Someone who is bulimic may show signs of throwing up, such as:

swollen cheeks or jaw area rough skin on knuckles (if using fingers to make one throw up) teeth that look clear broken blood vessels in the eyes

Someone with this eating disorder often thinks she or he is fat, even if this is not true. The person might hate his or her body. Or worry a lot about gaining weight.

As with sufferers of any eating disorder, people with bulimia are very unhappy.

Things are wrong in their lives which they feel they can do little or nothing about.

Correct treatment, love, care and security will all go towards helping them find better ways of coping.