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Bulimia – Another Teenage Eating Disorder Reality
Complex factors interplay and weave in-and-out of teenagers’ lives and once a problem or issue is identified on a behavioral level, we need to step in and problemsolve, support, love and care, intervene and enable others to make the right decision. This sounds so noble and easy a quest, but what if it was your teen we were talking about faced with the challenges of an eating disorder? What if he/she was bulimic? Would anyone notice? Would you take it seriously? Eating disorders like bulimia for example, deals with excessive weight loss through self-starvation and sometimes through purging (vomiting, laxative usage), excessive exercising, refusal to maintain normal weight, intense fear of weight gain, obsessive preoccupation with weight and shape, loss of menstrual periods, distorted body image and so on. Bulimia Nervosa specifically is characterized by cycles of binge eating followed by purging, usually done in secret, weight ranges from below to above average (may be difficult to detect), feeling out of control of food intake, purging after bingeing via self-induced vomiting, laxatives, diet pills, diuretics, excessive exercise, or starvation, obsessive preoccupation with weight and shape. Bulimics are deceptively so and usually extremely close to normal weight, but their weight may go up and down, fluctuating dramatically. Bulimia is normally identifiable by the consumption/eating of a lot of food at once (called bingeing), and then throwing up or using laxatives to remove the food from the body (called purging). After a binge, some bulimics fast (don't eat) or over-exercise to keep from gaining weight. People with bulimia may also use water pills, laxatives or diet pills to "control" their weight. People with bulimia often try to hide their bingeing and purging. They may hide food for binges as well. The obsessive behaviour is both disruptive and destructive, inflicting bodily harm and aside from the physical distress they are submitting their bodies to, there are also other emotional and social impacts. Bulimia affects the whole person. Warning signs might be very obvious or more hidden and subtle: ♣ Unnatural concern about body weight (even if the person is not overweight) ♣ Obsession with calories, fat grams and food ♣ Use of any medicines to keep from gaining weight (diet pills, laxatives, water pills) ♣ Throwing up after meals ♣ Refusing to eat or lying about how much was eaten ♣ Fainting ♣ Over-exercising ♣ Not having periods (if a girl is in question) ♣ Increased anxiety about weight ♣ Calluses or scars on the knuckle (from forced throwing up) ♣ Denying that there is anything wrong More serious warning signs may be harder to notice because people who have an eating disorder try to keep it secret. Watch for these signs for it left untreated, ,bulimia could cause a whole cadre of health problems, aside form stomach, heart and kidney problems, there are also dental problems (from throwing up stomach acid) , dehydration (not enough water in the body). |
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