bulimia Tag's Archives
Anorexia and Bulimia are equal opportunity eating disorders. There is no certain race, gender, sexual or religious background in which these eating disorders are more predominant. Anorexia and Bulimia are psychological problems that just happen to deal with food. There are some similarities in the two eating disorders, but they are not necessarily two sides of the same nervosa coin.
Anorexia and Bulimia – The Similarities
Both Anorexia and Bulimia have the same underlying cause – low self-esteem. With today’s society putting so much emphasis on what is perceived as the “perfect” body and weight, those people with eating disorders see themselves as imperfect.
However, that is not the only underlying cause. Depression and abuse – emotional, verbal, sexual and physical – are also common factors that contribute to the eating disorders of Anorexia and Bulimia.
Bulimia is widely thought of as some type of obsession with food. However, food really has nothing to do with the root of the problems that can trigger bulimia.
Rather, bulimia is really all about control. A person with bulimia feels that they are not in charge of their life. That lack of control is often what instigates the destructive binge-purge cycle called bulimia.
There are a number of factors that can contribute to bulimia, many of them about physical appearances. This is probably why bulimia has the highest concentration among teenage girls.
Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder most commonly known for the binging and purging actions of the sufferer. Bulimics will go on eating binges, where they eat uncontrollably for a short period of time, and then will induce vomiting in hopes of compensating for the calorie intake and prevent weight gain.
Not all bulimics, however, induce vomiting. There is a second kind of bulimia, where the sufferer employs other behaviors, including fasting and extreme exercise. The sufferers of bulimia nervosa usually maintain average or above average weights, so they may be difficult to recognize.
They realize that they have a problem, however, and try very hard to hide it. On the other hand, they may not be against talking about matters related to diet. Bulimics are usually depressed and low self-esteem, feel isolated and alone, and may have insulting thoughts towards themselves.