What is bulimia?
Bulimia (Bulimia Nervosa) is both a mental illness and an eating disorder. People with bulimia try to control their weight by bingeing and purging.
What is purging?
According to the dictionary purging is to 'Physically remove something completely'. Bulimic people can purge in a number of ways. These include self-induced vomiting, laxative abuse and excessive exercise.
Who gets bulimia?
While females are often more likely to develop bulimia nervosa it is also common in males (1 in 5 bulimia sufferers are male). Just like with other eating disorders, anybody can get bulimia at any stage in their life but it usually develops in females aged 18-19. It can develop in younger childhood but this is less common.
Diagnostic criteria
Some of the diagnostic criteria for bulimia can be found HERE.
Signs of bulimia
Changes in weight (Most bulimics are of a healthy weight, or even over weight, so don't assume because someone isn't stick thin theey are not suffering)
Cut, scarred or swollen knuckles. (This is caused by using finger to induce vomiting).
Disappearing soon after eating (To enable them to purge).
Periods of starvation or over-eating.
A rounder face (Caused by swollen saliva glands).
If you are suffering with an eating disorder I urge you to visit your GP so they can provide the help needed to recover. Treatment often includes talking therapy's, medications such as fluoxetine (anti-depressants) and in severe cases inpatient hospital treatment may be necessary.
If you are a parent/sibling/friend and think your child/sibling/friend might be suffering please try and talk to them. You may find THIS useful.
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