It is characterized by uncontrolled episodes of overeating (called bingeing). This is followed by purging by self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, and other methods. Bulimia typically affects females and starts during the teenage years. But, it can also affect males.
The majority of people diagnosed with bulimia nervosa are female, adolescent, and of normal or high weight. An estimated 1 to 4 percent of adolescent and young adult females in the United States are reported to have bulimia nervosa.
An Unhealthy Coping Mechanism If you have suffered through a traumatic event and have consequently developed bulimia, it is important that you take the steps needed for healing, restoration, and recovery.
The typical characteristics of a person with anorexia nervosa include:Low body mass index (<17.5 kg/m2)Bodyweight less than 85 percent of ideal body weight.Body temperature less than 35-degree Celcius.Bradycardia (heartbeat less than 60 beats per minute)Hypotension (BP of less than 90/50 mm Hg)Dry, scaly skin.More items...•
Bulimia affects more girls and younger women than older women. Teen girls between 15 and 19 and young women in their early 20s are most at risk. But eating disorders are happening more often in older women. In one study, 13% of American women over 50 had signs of an eating disorder.
Causes and Risk Factors of Bulimia NervosaSocial isolation.Change in mood or personality.Refusing to eat in front of people.Constantly talking about weight or food.Impulsive behaviors.Excessive or new substance or alcohol use.Striving for perfectionism.Intense fear of weight gain.More items...
Scientists have also discovered through the use of brain studies that neurological abnormalities contribute to the development of bulimia nervosa. This may be a result of altered brain chemicals, such as serotonin levels, which contribute to the dysregulation of mood, appetite, and impulse control in bulimia.
A recent study found that “the vast majority of women and men with anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED) reported a history of interpersonal trauma” (Mitchell et al. 2012).
By studying the brain scans of women with and without bulimia, researchers have discovered that their brains react differently to food cues. They found that, in women with bulimia, there is less blood flow in a part of the brain that is linked to self-thinking.
The main difference between diagnoses is that anorexia nervosa is a syndrome of self-starvation involving significant weight loss of 15 percent or more of ideal body weight, whereas patients with bulimia nervosa are, by definition, at normal weight or above.
Anorexia nervosa is characterized by emaciation, a relentless pursuit of thinness and unwillingness to maintain a normal or healthy weight, a distortion of body image and intense fear of gaining weight, a lack of menstruation among girls and women, and extremely disturbed eating behavior.
People with bulimia nervosa have episodes of eating large amounts of food (called bingeing) followed by purging (vomiting or using laxatives), fasting, or exercising excessively to compensate for the overeating. Unlike anorexia, people with bulimia are often a normal weight.