Signs and Symptoms of Bulimia Nervosa - Essay Example

Bulimia Task Bulimia Introduction Bulimia nervosa, commonly known as bulimia, is a serious life threatening eating disorder. This disorder normally affects women and men of all ages. When one is fighting hard with bulimia, life begins to be a constant battle between the desires of losing weight or remaining thin. In most cases, bulimia does not necessarily involve purging. However, it physically eliminates food from the body of a person by throwing up or using enemas, laxatives, as well as diuretics. If one makes up his or her binges by exercising to excess, going on crash diets or fasting, he or she ends up introducing this life threatening disorder in his or her body system (Crow, Eckert, Mitchell, Peterson, Raymond, Specker, & Swanson, 2009) This disorder can be categorized in two different divisions, which are purging bulimia, whereby a person regularly forces himself or herself to vomit or misuse of laxatives, enemas and diuretics after bingeing. On the other hand, another way to categorize bulimia is the non-purging bulimia. In this case, a person uses methods such as excessive exercise, fasting and strict diet to get rid of calories and prevent weight gain in his or her body system. Many people with bulimia have fear and shame because of their excessive weights and body shapes. This disorder can be difficult to overcome once one gets an infection of it, and as such, one requires application of the best and effective treatment in order to feel better about himself or herself (Palmer, 2004). Signs and Symptoms of Bulimia If one has been living with bulimia for sometimes, he or she has probably done everything in his or her binging and purging habits. There are several signs and symptoms of both binge eating and purge eating. Inability to control excessive eating is one major sign of bulimia. This is whereby a person is unable to stop eating and ends up eating to the point that he or she starts feeling pain and discomfort. In addition, other signs of the complication include eating unusually large amounts of food, and secrecy surrounding eating. This is where a person goes to the kitchen after everyone else has retired to bed in search of food. The other sign that represents this complication is alternating between overeating and fasting, whereby a person rarely eats normal meals (Sedghizadeh, 2013). On the other hand, there are several signs and symptoms of purge eating. These include smell of vomit, whereby a person and everything he or she uses starts to smell like vomit. Another sign is using the bathroom once one is through with his or her meals. In such a case, the person frequents to the bathroom after taking every meal, possibly locking himself or herself in the bathroom and stays there for hours as he or she tries to vomit all the food he or she consumed a few moments earlier.. In addition, other signs and symptoms include excessive exercising, as well as the use of enemas, diuretics and laxatives after every meal. According to Crow, Eckert, Mitchell, Peterson, Raymond, Specker, & Swanson (2009), bulimia has also some physical signs that a person may experience if infected with bulimia. These include other physical signs of bulimia, such as scars on the knuckles or hands, discolored teeth, puffy cheeks, frequent fluctuations in weight and not underweight. Causes and Risk Factors of Bulimia Researchers have searched and they have not found causes of bulimia. However, low self-esteem and concern about weight and body image are some of the major factors that contribute to bulimia. In most cases, people who are suffering from bulimia, and at the same time have eating disorders, generally have trouble in managing their emotions in a healthy way. In a recent study carried out by Palmer (2004), one thing is certain, that bulimia is a complex emotional issue and it has some causes and risk factors that are contributing to it. However, these are some of the major causes and risk factors for bulimia, such as low self-esteem. This is where all men and women think of themselves as useless, unattractive and not worthy, which puts them at great risk of getting bulimia. Childhood abuse, critical home environment depression and perfectionism are some of the things that contribute to low self-esteem. Another cause is poor body image, history of treatment or abuse. This is whereby women with bulimia always appear to have experiences of higher incidences of sexual abuse, poor body image, major life changes, and appearance-oriented professions are also some of the causes and risk factors of bulimia. Effects of Bulimia When a person has bulimia, his or her body and life are exposed to risk. The most life threatening side effect of the bulimia health complication is dehydration of the body, whereby the body losses large quantities of water due to frequent purging and vomiting behavior of the bulimic patient. On the other hand, the use of diuretics, as well as usage of laxatives is a risky practice for every bulimic patient as this can lead to a severe imbalance of the electrolyte within his or her body, such as the case of having extremely low levels of potassium within the body. An extremely lower level of potassium in a patient’s body triggers more catastrophic symptoms of bulimia, such as lethargy, which may lead to an irregular heartbeat thereby exposing the patient to heart related complication such as cardiac arrest, heart attack, high blood pressure, or stroke, and in a worst case scenario, death! Medically, low levels of potassium can also result in kidney failure. Sedghizadeh (2013) argue that there are also some other common medical complications and adverse effects of bulimia, which include broken blood vessels, acid reflux or ulcers, weight gain, loss of menstrual periods, weakness and dizziness, swelling of the hands and feet, ruptured stomach as well as chronic constipation that arises from the excessive usage of abuse of laxatives. Treatment and Management of Bulimia Therapy Bulimia is a very serious illness that needs swift medical intervention before it gets out of hand. As such, for one to stop the process of bingeing and purging, it is important for him or her to seek medical help and get treatment as soon as possible. Therapy forms an important part of the recovery process, especially for those who are suffering from bulimia for it will improve their body image and raise their self-esteem. According to Crow, Eckert, Mitchell, Peterson, Raymond, Specker, & Swanson (2009), the best treatment intervention for bulimic patients to adopt is the application of the cognitive behavioral therapy. This mode of treatment majorly focuses on some of the eating behaviors of these bulimic patients considered unhealthy. In addition, the therapy also considers the best strategies to eliminate the unrealistic thoughts fueling the unhealthy eating habits of bulimic patients. As such, a bulimic therapy considers the following phases in order to break loose from the cycle of purging and binging. This forms the first phase of bulimia treatment, whereby the key focus is to put a stop on the different cycles of purging, as well as bingeing thereby bringing about a restoration to the normal patterns of eating for the patient. In addition, the second phase of dealing with bulimia is through a transformation of the unhealthy thoughts that the individual may have, or other unwanted patterns. As such, the major focus of this phase is to identify and make changes in the dysfunctional beliefs and thoughts that an individual may have concerning their body shapes, dieting practices, as well as weights. Lastly, the third phase of treating and managing bulimia is through provision of sustainable resolutions to the emotional issues affecting patients, and this major concerns targeting on emotional issues that were the key contributors of the unhealthy behavior of eating as from the beginning. Helping a Person with Bulimia In case one has a friend or a family member who has bulimia, it is best to have serious talk with the patient in order to express bluntly your personal concerns about his or her health. It is imperative to note that the person may deny to purging or bingeing. However, there exists a high chance that the person may open up and as such, discuss with you his, or her personal struggle that she, or he is going through. In a recent study carried out by Palmer (2004), bulimia should not be neglected because both the emotional, as well as the physical health of an individual are of first priority before anything else. It is so painful for one to know that his or her child or someone he or she loves may be binging and purging. As such, one cannot force a person with this disorder to change but the best thing to help that person is by offering compassion, support and encouragement throughout the treatment process. These are the things that one can do to support his or her loved one, such as setting a good example as a role model, avoid using of insults or calling of names, patronizing comments, guilt trip, as well as scare tactics. In addition, one has to offer compassion and support to his or her loved one. In conclusion, bulimia is a life threatening disorder and people should seek medical help once they are aware of the disorder and are treated as soon as possible. References Crow, S., Eckert, E., Mitchell, J., Peterson, C., Raymond, N., Specker, S., & Swanson, S. (2009). Increased Mortality In Bulimia Nervosa And Other Eating Disorders. The American Journal of Psychiatry, December 2009 Volume 166 Number 12 Pp. 1342-1346. Retrieved On November 29, 2013 from http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2009.09020247 Palmer, R. (2004). Bulimia Nervosa: 25 Years On. The British Journal of Psychiatry, (2004) 185: 447-448 Doi: 10.1192/Bjp.185.6.447. Retrieved On November 29, 2013 from http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/185/6/447 Sedghizadeh, P. (2013). Bulimia Nervosa. N Engl J Med 2013; 368:1238 March 28, 2013DOI: 10.1056/Nejmicm1207495. Retrieved On November 29, 2013 from http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMicm1207495 Read More