Diagnostic Symptoms Of Bulimia Nervosa |
Another holiday is over and another massive meal is under your belt. Oh yes, what you and your family have consumed probably would have fed a small, third-world nation for at least a month. You're stuffed and sleepy, but you feel satisfied. After the dishes are cleared, you flop into the armchair in the living room, and you probably won't move for the rest of the night.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association, Version Four, Text Revised (DSM-IV-TR), the following behaviors are the diagnostic features of Bulimia Nervosa, paraphrased: Frequent binges of very large amounts of food; lack of control over food. "Secret" eating; never binging when others are present, hording food to eat alone. After binge eating, the person then proceeds to engage in compensatory behavior by inducing vomiting, chronic abuse of laxatives and diuretics, enemas, and excessive exercising. Binge foods include great quantities of sweets and other carbohydrates. Binges are rapid - food is consumed very quickly. Intense feelings of shame, guilt, and self-disgust about binges are a direct result.
Co-existing symptoms of depression and/or anxiety manifest themselves. Purging by vomiting provides relief from the physical discomfort of binge eating; vomiting is induced with fingers, an instrument such as a spoon, or ingesting Ipecac syrup. After an intense binge-purge episode, there may be total fasting for a day or two, combined with excessive, frantic exercise. The binge and purge cycle begins all over again.
Some bulimics are overweight and obsessed with losing weight, while others are of normal weight with an intense and overpowering fear of gaining weight. Those bulimics classified as the "non-purging" type do experience frequent binge eating, but rather than vomiting or using other compensatory behaviors, they frantically exercise and go through days of fasting to rid themselves of the calories they consumed during a binge.
Will power and good character have nothing to do with Bulimia Nervosa. Bulimics take no joy in binging and purging, and when you think about it, the act of purging isn't all that pleasant. The only thing bulimics hate more than them is food. The situation is a constant war and if bulimics knew how to stop, they would. However, bulimics feel powerless to control anything, and the only key to changing the situation is for the bulimic to believe and understand that they do have the power to change their behavior.
Here are some highly recommended solutions for eating disorders
Quick Tip #1
Its important to learn to identify the different Anorexia Nervosa Symptoms, so it can be prevented |
Quick Tip #2
If she vomits constantly after eating or not eating at all, those are clear signs of Anorexia |
Quick Tip #3
Anorexia is an eating disorder that requires not just medications but psychiatric help |
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