Bulimia Nervosa

SED 200
Dr. J. Judge
November 25, 2013

This paper discusses the lifestyle of someone who has bulimia nervosa, or in other terms bulimic. This lifestyle that people choose can be very harmful and don’t know how to stop before horrendously injuring themselves and who it could affect in their life. Furthermore, the paper really shows how troublesome these people can be; it describes how to search for the symptoms in people you are surrounded by every day, and how you could help them get out of that horrific disease. Bulimia nervosa is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder. People with bulimia may secretly binge, which means eating large amounts of food, and then purge, or trying to get rid of the extra calories in an unhealthy way. An example would be, someone with bulimia may force vomiting or do excessive exercise. Sometimes people purge after eating only a small snack or a normal-size meal. Bulimia can be categorized in two ways: Purging bulimia is where you regularly self-induce vomiting or misuse laxatives after bingeing. Non-purging bulimia consists of using other methods to get rid of calories and prevent weight gain, such as fasting or excessive exercise. (Hensrud, 2012).However, these behaviors often overlap, and the attempt to get rid of extra calories is usually referred to as purging, no matter what the method. The possible history of these patients with bulimia nervosa is a wide variety of life experiences and neglect of close support from families or friends. Many individuals with bulimia come from over controlling families where nurturance is lacking. Studies suggest that sexual abuse survivors are more prone to the disorder, as are fraternal twins and relatives of those who have anorexia. Many people think that eating disorders affect only young, upper-class white females. But bulimia affects people from all walks of life, including males, women of color, and even older women. It is not known for sure whether African American, Latina, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian and Alaska Native people develop eating disorders because American culture values thin people. People with different cultural backgrounds may develop eating disorders because it's hard to adapt to a new culture. The stress of trying to live in two different cultures may cause some minorities to develop their eating disorders. Although the precise causes of bulimia nervosa are unknown, scientists agree that it is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. People with a family history of eating disorders or a personal history of mental illness, including depression, anxiety, or a substance of abuse and other illnesses, are more likely to develop bulimia nervosa. Traumatic events such as physical or sexual abuse, as well as life-stressors, including being bullied at school can also increase the risk of developing bulimia nervosa. Women with bulimia appear to have a higher incidence of sexual abuse. People with bulimia are also more likely than average to have parents with a substance abuse problem or psychological disorder (Miller). There is no single cause of bulimia. While low self-esteem and concerns about weight and body image play major roles, there are many other contributing causes. In most cases, people suffering with bulimia have trouble managing emotions in a healthy way. Eating can be an emotional release so it’s not surprising that people binge and purge when feeling angry, depressed, stressed, or anxious. One thing is certain. Bulimia is a complex emotional issue. Major causes and risk factors for bulimia include: Poor body image because of our culture’s emphasis on thinness and beauty can lead to body dissatisfaction, especially with young women bombarded with the media images of today. Also having a low self-esteem for women and or men is at risk for bulimia. Things that can contribute to low self-esteem include