Let’s get real – eating disorders can affect anyone, anywhere. This National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (#NEDAwareness), we’re changing the conversation around food, body image, and eating disorders! Join us at nedawareness.org
DAY 3:
Types of Eating Disorders: Bulimia Nervosa
What is it?
Bulimia is characterized by the use of behaviors such as purging (self-induced vomiting), taking diet pills or engaging in excessive exercise. Someone struggling with bulimia may engage in binge eating that is followed by a compensatory behavior (purging, misusing laxatives or diuretics, fasting, excessive exercise, use of any drugs inappropriately for weight control), feelings of guilt and an intense desire to ride her or his body of the food.
Presenting Signs & Symptoms:
• Frequent episodes of consuming very large amount of food followed by behaviors to prevent weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting.
• A feeling of being out of control during the binge-eating episodes.
• Self-esteem overly related to body image.
• Evidence of binge eating, including disappearance of large amounts of food in short periods of time or finding wrappers and containers indicating the consumption of large amounts of food.
• Evidence of purging behaviors, including frequent trips to the bathroom after meals, signs and/or smells of vomiting, presence of wrappers or packages of laxatives or diuretics.
• Excessive, rigid exercise regimen–despite weather, fatigue, illness, or injury, the compulsive need to “burn off” calories taken in.
• Unusual swelling of the cheeks or jaw area.
• Calluses on the back of the hands and knuckles from self-induced vomiting.
• Discoloration or staining of the teeth.
• Creation of lifestyle schedules or rituals to make time for binge-and-purge sessions.
• Withdrawal from usual friends and activities
Worried you may be struggling with an Eating Disorder?
Use the screening tool here
Or find more information on treatment at WECHC here.
