Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by repeated episodes of excessive food intake in a short period of time. This is coupled with excessive concern about body weight control, which may lead you to use methods to control weight gain.

We went to The Meadowglade, a rehabilitation center, specialized in health and eating disorders, and spoke with the specialists about this disorder.

The Meadowglade is based in Moorpark, California specialized in health and eating disorders.

The spacialists from this center explain that the person who suffers from bulimia has a distorted idea of ​​his own body, although he has a normal weight and has permanent feelings of body dissatisfaction, fear of gaining weight, is not able to control his impulses with food and cannot resist the desire to binge.

Two therapeutic approaches are contemplated: the pharmacological and the psychotherapeutic.

The Meadowglade eating disorder specialists point out that cognitive behavioral therapy has given very good results. It is very important that parents go to the doctor because patients often deny the symptoms and try to hide the severity of the problem.

What are the usual symptoms?

According to The Meadowglade experienced specialists' articles on OSF, the symptoms that indicate that a person can have bulimia are binge eating and excessive food intake in a short time, which in turn generates a lot of anxiety.

The patient can use compensatory mechanisms to control weight gain (use of diuretics, laxatives, excessive exercise, low calorie diet, fasting periods, etc.).

In addition to the psychological symptoms that can present (anxiety, depression, low self-esteem ...), The Meadowglade experienced specialists indicate that there can be physical symptoms such as headaches, dental problems, swollen face, hair loss, irregular menstruation, dehydration, arrhythmias, etc.

The most common symptoms are:

• Distortion of body image.

• Malnutrition.

• Digestive disorders.

• Biochemical changes in blood.

• Lack of calcium.

How is it diagnosed?

The specialists from the Moorpark, California rehabilitation center share that the diagnosis is clinical. Medical causes of loss of control with food and vomiting should be ruled out in bulimia.

• Diagnostic interview.

• Discard of organic disease through: magnetic resonance imaging, general and specific analyzes and evaluation by other specialists (endocrinologists).

• Psychodiagnostic tests.

• Carrying out the diagnosis following the ICD-10 and DSM-IV-TR criteria.