BT Collab Topic: Bulimia Nervosa prepared by Manohar - Behaviour Therapist
Bulimia is a serious illness that causes severe problems with a person's eating behaviors. It is marked by uncontrolled episodes of overeating, called bingeing. This is followed by purging with methods such as vomiting or misuse of laxatives or water pills (diuretics). Bingeing is eating much larger amounts of food than you would normally eat in a short period of time, often less than 2 hours. You may feel like you can’t stop or control these episodes of binge-eating.
Bulimia can become life-threatening. The binge-purge cycles can happen from several times a week to many times a day.
Often people with bulimia have a normal or above normal body weight. This lets them hide their problem for years. Many people with bulimia don’t get help until they reach age 30 to 50. By this time, their eating behavior is deeply rooted and harder to change.
There are two ways people with bulimia restrict calories:
Purging type. The person uses self-induced vomiting or misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas, or other medicines that clear the intestines.
Nonpurging type. The person uses other behaviors, such as fasting or excessive exercise, rather than purging.
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