Bulimia - Eating Disorder & Symptoms

Dr. Purushothaman
April 11, 2018

To begin with, Bulimia eating disorder is serious and almost life-threatening. This one condition is prevalent in women and can begin in adolescence. This one disorder can be directly linked to mental stress like depression, low self-esteem, and confidence or even alcoholism. People who suffer from this type of eating disorder, they tend to overeat and then look for ways to take food out of their body by vomiting or laxatives. This is a serious disease and needs immediate attention. One must start noticing the symptoms and then consult a doctor for immediate medication. These patients must be given healthy living tips for a better lifestyle that is free from this eating disorder.

Bulimia can affect a person due to the factors related to their environment. It can include the pressure from the friends, attitude of the family members, low self esteem, low self acceptance and body consciousness. Yet another factor that contributes to bulimia is biochemical. The insufficient amount of hormone released from the brain called serotonin will lead to bulimia as well as depression side by side. In short, a lot of factors tend to contribute to bulimia including the people around, the level of serotonin and self consciousness.

What are the symptoms of the bulimia eating disorder?

Since this disease is linked to the mental stress and tension; there are more than bodily symptoms. One can first begin to experience the mental symptoms, then the symptoms are visible on the body if the problem progresses. So, one must try to understand this at the first stage to take control of it.

Following are the few mental stress symptoms that one may face the eating disorder:

  • Sensitive towards comments on body and eating habits- One who may be suffering from the bulimia eating disorder may be very sensitive towards any comments that talk about their body or eating habits.

  • Low self-confidence- This is a common mental stress condition where one may feel under confident and have a low self-esteem. This is a common symptom of stress and depression, but can be linked to the bulimia eating disorder.

  • Depression and anxiety- Depression is a common sign in people and it can be due to various aspects. People who may be suffering from the bulimia eating disorder will be depressed and often be very sensitive about their weight and physical appearance.

Physical or bodily symptoms of bulimia

  1. Excessive weight gain or loss- Both excessive weight gain or weight loss can be a strong symptom of bulimia eating disorder. The main sign that gives us the sign that a person is suffering from bulimia is that he/she eats food in large amounts, even if the person is not feeling hungry. This can be due to emotional problems like depression. For letting out the calories that are consumed in large numbers, the person might make use of methods like vomiting the food out or make use of laxatives for the purpose of defecation. Some people may force all food out of the body and the stress will further reduce their weight. On the other hand, some may feel stressed and gain more weight. This depends on one’s body and hormones.

  2. Swollen throat and swelling around the mouth- Excessive vomiting and forceful actions lead to swelling of the throat and mouth. Once a person notices someone around them with swelling around these areas, they must call for help.

  3. Bloating and food intolerance- During the bulimia disorder, people may even be resistant to food and rather get intolerant to food and throw up each time they are asked or given to eat. The bulimia patients need to be helped with tips for eating well.

  4. Shortness of breath and heartbeat- The patients with bulimia eating disorder are disturbed mentally and physically. Therefore, in such a situation, they may face, shortness of breath and heartbeat. This makes them feel sick and more disturbed.

  5. Fainting and dizziness- Since the patient is not eating anything properly, they can experience constant dizziness and fainting, as there is a lack of energy in the body. Even if food is consumed it is let out by the process of vomiting. This actually does not allow a sufficient amount of vitamins for the body, resulting in dizziness and fainting.

These are a few symptoms that clearly indicate the fact that one is suffering from bulimia eating disorder. It is important to instill healthy eating habits in the patients. Taking the insufficient amount of food is extremely essential for the body. Low or no food intake can cause damage to the body as a whole.

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