Ins and Outs of Bulimia |
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| Approximately 1.1 to 4.2 % of females have Bulimia in their lifetime. Bulimia is an eating disorder in which a person eats excessive amounts of foods that are often highly caloric in spurts (consuming much more food in a short time than would be consumed in a normal meal or even over a day), and then purges the food out by vomiting or taking laxatives in order to prevent the resultant weight gain from occurring. Boys and men may have this disorder, too, but it is much more prevalent among girls and women. | ||
| In addition to Bulimia, people that suffer from this disorder are often troubled by other impulsive behaviors that are self-damaging such as substance abuse, sexual promiscuity, reckless behavior, lying, stealing, temper control problems, rage. | ||
| Bulimics differs from anorexia nervosa in areas of control. Anorexics are often obsessive-compulsive types who feel very controlled by someone outside of themselves. In reaction, they take control of their life by controlling their food intake. They see themselves as fat no matter how emaciated they may be. This is called body dysmorphia; viewing the body as shaped differently than it really is and being very unhappy with the perception that the body is unacceptably fat. | ||
| Bulimics, on the other hand, want to lose weight, often do not have body dysmorphia, and struggle to keep their weight off. They often gain and lose 10 lbs at a time and yo-yo in their weight. They are less likely to be obsessive-compulsive or feel in control, so they attempt to control things by doing and undoing things. They eat impulsively and then try to undo the damage from eating by vomiting or eliminating the food. They are impulsive and then feel guilt and regret about what they have done and find ways to undo or mitigate the damage. | ||
| Interestingly, most people with Bulimia are acting in a way that is an exact metaphor of another problem in their life. The eating behavior is stuffing down food or emotions. The purging behavior is the getting it out or expression of feelings. The up and down and the ins and outs of the food represents the wish to resolve feelings and get them out in the open on the one hand, and repress (stuff it down and calm it by eating) and hide them on the other hand. Very often, some conflict is there. When that conflict gets identified (usually in therapy with the help of a professional who can take an excellent history, explore coping patterns and see the symbolism of the Bulimic behaviors), brought out in the open, and begins to be worked through, the Bulimic symptomotology starts to quiet. | ||
| For example, a young woman in her twenties had been sexually abused in her early years by some older kids in her neighborhood. She also had alcoholism, physical abuse and abandonment in her own family of origin. There was little support for her. She was ashamed of her past despite it not being her fault at all. She never told anyone about the sexual abuse. She dealt with this by drinking excessively, being very shy, and by binge eating. As she gained weight and size to "protect herself" and stay unattractive to keep safe, she was then teased by her brothers and their friends for being "fat." She did not want to be fat nor teased by her brothers anymore so she began a pattern of binging to calm her anxiety, and purging to prevent weight gain. This went on until she began hearing the dangers of Bulimia and became very frightened—so frightened that she entered therapy. | ||
| As we peeled away the alcohol dependency and she gained control over her purging and eating, she also was able to discuss the painful feelings that fueled her self-sabotaging behaviors. The underlying issue was the trauma she experienced as a little girl. As we consistently talked about her feelings, her eating disorder consistently improved and went away. The food was representing the wish to talk to someone about her pain, and her fear of telling her secret. The up and down, stuff it in and throw it up was very much congruent with her emotional ups and downs. This pattern is true for every person I have seen with Bulimia. | ||
| Each person suffering from this has an underlying conflict or trauma that needs to get brought out and up and discussed. This process is a major factor in stopping the cycle of eating disorder. | ||
| Bulimia must be stopped, as it is dangerous to one's health in many ways. In addition to the negative outcomes of repressing emotional conflicts, there are a number of physical consequences that can be life threatening in time. | ||
| One very dangerous effect of Bulimia is having blood in either the stool or vomit. This can be a sign of ulceration of the stomach or esophagus or other intestinal tract problem and must be explored by a physician. The stress and strain of vomiting over and over again can cause the esophagus to become pre-cancerous. Furthermore, it can cause veins and capillaries to burst. Another dangerous outcome is that electrolytes, especially Potassium, can get low and lead to high risk of heartbeat irregularities that cause fatigue, anxiety, and could lead to death. Teeth and gums become unhealthy and unattractive due to the excessive acid eroding them from the vomit. A good dentist can recognize this pretty easily upon check-up. | ||
| Be aware if your teenager, girlfriend, spouse spends time in the bathroom immediately after eating or runs the water the whole time while in the restroom as it could be a disguise to cover the sounds of vomiting. If an excessive amount of money is spent on food at all-you-can eat buffets, or other places, or if food is hidden and hoarded, be aware. If you see someone with ups and downs of weight gain and who is always obsessed with their weight, ask about an eating disorder. Bulimia is treatable and must not be ignored. | ||
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This article was written by Dr. Laurel A. Sills, a Fully Licensed Clinical Psychologist (since 1987) and Life Coach. She provides direct, down-to-earth, short-term therapy with long-term results. She is passionate in her work and will help you stay motivated to change your life with regular commitment to changing habits in thinking and behaving. See her website at: www.DrLSills.com or www.BuildAStrongerYou.com |
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Copyright 2006© Laurel A. Sills, Psy.D. All rights reserved Back to Articles |