Bulimia nervosa


 Eating disorders
Anorexia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa

Origin
Bulimia nervosa has mainly the same causes as anorexia nervosa:
  1. There is a connection between eating behavior and depression; the exact nature of the connection is still unclear (what is the cause, what is the result).
  2. Stuffing yourself can be looked upon as a form of conditioned behavior: after unpleasant experiences or frustrations someone immediately reaches for food.
  3. Especially with bulimia nervosa traumatic experiences from the childhood can be on the origin of the eating disorder, for example ill-treatment and sexual abuse.
  4. Innate characteristics are probably of influence. It appears that bulimic patients often have a negative way of thinking, for example the desire to be perfect, thinking in extremes or having a negative image of themselves.
  5. Certain family-characteristics appear more often among patients having eating disorders. The question is however whether these characteristics are the result or the cause of the eating disorder.
Symptoms
People who suffer from bulimia nervosa stuff themselves often. They just eat whatever is close at hand and afterwards they try to throw up everything. These rituals of stuffing themselves are attempts to forget their problems.

Treatment
The treatment of bulimia is about the same as for anorexia nervosa.

In general, enforced therapy is not effective. Inferior treatment, in particular if it is enforced can aggravate the problems. It is important that the doctor in attendance has experience in the treatment of eating disorders.

One of the first targets of the treatment is the recovery of the normal weight. In addition the treatment should try to improve the way people look at themselves, experience their body and establish and maintain social contacts and relations.

Often a special form of behavioral treatment is used. Step by step people are learned to accommodate to a rising weight by controlled exposure to the threatening situations.

With the help of a cognitive therapy people will be learned to change the wrong notions regarding their weight and their body.

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