BULIMIA NERVOSA

Hi everyone

So today I will talk about the disorder which our population is mostly and especially YOUTH is affected by. So, in today generation, youth is the most important part of society as through them we bring change in our lives and society. But we are losing the charm of our youth by this disorder which even leads people to suicide at the extreme level. So yes, I am talking about Eating Disorders. These are the disturbances in eating behaviour that involve maladaptive and unhealthy efforts to control body weight are becoming increasingly common. The then in recent decades has been for these disturbing disorders to star at earlier and earlier ages- As young as eight. Two eating disorders which receive the most attention are Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa. Today in this blog we will talk about bulimia nervosa. So, we all have listened about this disorder in general but today we will look into this disorder in a psychological sense.

I will start with an example.
Ginny, aged 18, has been trying to keep a secret from her family and friends: She is a binge eater, When others are not around, or after they are asleep, Ginny often gorged on eat, Ice cream, Candy, And another food-so fast that there is hardly time to chew. It seems that once she has begun, there is no stopping until she is so stuffed that her stomach aches or she is exhausted that she falls asleep, After a binge, Ginny is disgusted with herself for her lack of self-control; she feels depressed and guilty. Often she makes herself vomit, then takes a double or triple dose of laxative. To compensate for the gorging, she sometimes goes on severe fast. Her life, she feels, is almost totally dominated by her obsession with food.
So, now let's talk about "What is Bulimia Nervosa"
Bulimia Nervosa is often called BULIMIA, is a condition in which a person develops a cycle of "binging", or overeating enormous amounts of food at one sitting, and then using inappropriate methods for avoiding weight gain. This includes recurrent episodes of binge eating and then engage in " purging" behaviours, such as deliberately vomiting after the binge or misuse of laxatives, but some may not, using other inappropriate methods to avoid weight gain such as fasting the day or two after the binge or engaging in excessive exercise that is potentially harmful to the person's health.

*Whom do Bulimia affect more?
-It mainly affects adolescent girls(17 of 18 age), and even on young age but also older women and adolescent boys too but more often girls because females, are obsessed with their appearance, diet excessive, and believe themselves to be fat even when they are quite obviously not fat. This also sometimes leads to loss of self-esteem and extreme psychological disorders.

*Diagnosis of this disorder
-Somehow, it is difficult to diagnose this disorder as individuals with bulimia often maintain a normal weight, making the disorder difficult to detect. The most obvious difference between two conditions is that the individual with bulimia will eat, and eat to excess, binging on huge amounts of food- an average of 3,500 calories in a single binge and as much as 50,000 calories in one day. A typical binge may include a gallon of ice cream, a package of cookies, and a gallon of milk- all consumed as quickly as possible. The evidence according to psychologists indicates that it is most common among white females in their late teens to late twenties. One study found that about 4percent of students treated in a university, the psychiatric clinic had been diagnosed as having bulimia. But another study reported that 13percebt of 355 students in a college experience all symptoms of bulimia nervosa. Discrepancies like this suggests that there may be many people in college campus who have bulimia but do not seek treatment.

*SYMPTOMS

°Behavioural: binge eating, compulsive behaviour, impulsivity and loss of control on one's gratifications, self-harm, vomiting after overeating, or lack of restraint, over-exercising.

°Physical Symptoms: dehydration, fatigue, food aversion, hunger, or water-electrolyte imbalance, dizziness, loss of sleep.
°Mood: anxiety, general discontent, guilt, or mood swings, embarrassment and regret for binge eating.
°Mouth: bad breath, dental cavities, or dryness
°Gastrointestinal: constipation, heartburn, or inflamed oesophagus, acidity.
°Menstrual(females): the absence of menstruation or irregular menstruation, cramps at an extreme level, food craving. °common symptoms in every person who is suffering from bulimia nervosa: abnormality of taste, depression, poor self-esteem, or sore throat.

*CAUSES
°one common finding is that family history usually includes some impulse-control problems. It may be that bulimic people inherit some susceptibility to impulse-control problems in their families.
°the binge itself may be prompted by an anxious or depressed mood or social stress.
°one more factor is the "desire to be perfect in all respect" ideal seems to play an important role. Research findings indicate that women who are high on this trait are at risk for developing bulimia, especially if they perceive themselves to be overweight.
And after the initial binge, it continues due to lack of or impairment in self-control. The individual is unable to control when to stop eating or how much do eat.

*Bulimia, do not lead to a person's death but yes, it comes with many serious health consequences: severe tooth decay and erosion of the lining of the oesophagus from the acidity of the vomiting, enlarged salivary glands, potassium, calcium, and sodium imbalances that can be very dangerous, damage to the intestinal tract from overuse of laxatives, heart problems, fatigue.

*TREATMENT
-Treatment consists of antidepressants and therapy
-Treatments include counselling, medication and nutrition education.
Therapies can be given by professionals such as:
Support group therapy, Cognitive behavioural therapy, Cognitive therapy, Dialectical behaviour therapy, Counseling psychology, Psychoeducation, Family therapy, Behaviour Therapy and Psychotherapy.
It is all about this disorder and I will talk about another eating disorder(Aneroxia Nervosa)  in the next vlog.