If you are looking for help the good news is, that YES, there is help for bulimia! Before getting into where to find help, let's first look at what are some of the characteristics that go along with someone who is suffering from bulimia.

* Distorted self-image
* Excessive use of diuretics
* Binge eating followed by purging
* Lack of honesty when it comes to what they are eating
* Use of laxatives
* Obsession with weight gain
* Shame, guilt and frustration at not being able to stop

Those suffering with bulimia often suffer in silence. They are secretive and deceptive and when it comes right down to it, they are really trying to fool themselves about their disorder.

The problem with bulimia is that it can become an addictive behavior. And it can become an addiction very quickly, especially if the one suffering is getting any type of positive feedback regarding the results from their behaviors. If people are commenting on the fact that they're losing weight, or perceive them as being disciplined for working out so obsessively; these can be misconstrued by the bulimic who is suffering most definitely from a warped and twisted sense of self body image. Where there are skin and bones, the bulimic will see fat. They are unable to view their own reflections as unhealthy and have come to a false sense of having control over their eating.

There are support groups and therapists that specialize in eating disorders that are a great place to start. There are treatment centers where those severe cases can be completely removed from their unhealthy environment to live in an environment where the first order of business is recovery. They receive an education about the core causes of eating disorders, to help them identify where their own troubles began. They work with a specialist on a nutritional plan and will find sponsors that they can speak with on a daily basis who also is recovering from an eating disorder.


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When you think of people who may be susceptible to an eating disorder like anorexia, you may only think of teenage girls. It would make sense if you only thought of teenage girls as being affected by this eating disorder, but it wouldn't be 100% accurate. There are a number of people who suffer from this disorder and it is becoming more apparent that a piece of this puzzle exists in adult anorexia.

Before I move on, I want to stress that the onset of adult anorexia, where no prior symptoms have been present, is very rare; but that doesn't mean it is not in existence. We must be careful with a disorder like anorexia; that we don't pigeon-hole only one "type" of person who may suffer from this problem. Keeping our views narrow-minded could cost a life, if a person is dismissed as having these symptoms, but not fitting into the well-known mold.

The thing about anorexia is that it is more about "gaining control" of an aspect of one's life much more than it is about food. Because of the immaturity of a teenager's mind and the lack of control they have on their own lives on a daily basis, it would make sense that they would turn to controlling what they ate as a way of gaining some kind of control. Unfortunately, it is often the case that once a person has dabbled with anorexia nervosa and/or bulimia, the path set in motion could very well turn into a disaster. The frailty of an immature mind could be easily convinced that what they see in the mirror is not their reality and that by starving themselves; they are in control of their day to day lives.

The disease of anorexia nervosa is cunning, baffling and powerful and once it has a hold of a mind, it is hard to let go of. There is recovery, and statistics show that once an anorexic, even for an adult anorexia sufferer... once a course of action has been taken and a road to recovery has been laid down, full recovery is now a choice not a fantasy.

When anorexia is prevalent in adults, it is almost always something that has been lying dormant in one's life. Any kind of trauma or unexpected life change could kick into gear those old feelings of needing to gain control.



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When it comes to eating disorders, one may well be aware of bulimia. Statistics have been shown pertaining to bulimia, but they might not really present an accurate picture. There might be actually more cases than presented, and this could be due to certain factors. One is that some bulimics may not be seeking treatment because they don't think they have a problem, or it may be because they are too ashamed to seek treatment. Them having an eating disorder and for others to know, this may not be a good idea for some. But nevertheless, bulimia is among the most common of eating disorders. And an eating disorder is something which is not to be brushed aside. After all, it has to do with a basic human mechanism- eating.

Through it, the body is nourished. The body's nourishment can be something good or bad. And this depends on one's eating choices and habits. When one has an eating disorder, it actually has so much more to do than bad eating habits. There could be something deep-rooted to it, like psychological and emotional issues. Such is why it may be difficult overcoming such a disorder, and professional help ought to be necessitated. What then of bulimia, and what are the symptoms of bulimia? The salient symptoms of bulimia are quite classic - bingeing and purging. It could be that one overeats and then induces themselves to vomit. This vomiting is intentionally triggered, and it might be through laxatives or enemas, diuretics and other similar purging methods.

So when somebody in one's midst constantly purges themselves after meals, then that is one of the sure symptoms of bulimia. One has to be keen about that in themselves, or those they live or interact with. That way, measures would be done, such as seeking help and treatment would be employed. Symptoms of bulimia often manifest when the sufferer is under stress. Stress can develop from any front, or it can be that it is an accumulation of events. Stress for bulimics can be in the form of family, work or school issues, developments on the social front and most of all a distorted body image. The classic bulimic symptom of bingeing in turn gives way to other emotional issues. In most cases, bulimics feel guilty of what they do, and after that binge and purge session, they would fall into a state of depression. Depression in itself does not of course necessarily point to being bulimic.

But if it goes with other symptoms of bulimia, then it's a cause for alarm. When depression and being moody follows vomiting after meals, then it's a red light signal that something is wrong. There's actually more to these symptoms of bulimia, and that is drastic weight changes. The binge eating often leads to weight gain, and the purging to being underweight. So when one goes from one end to the other in a short time, that is not normal or healthy at all. One must then be keen when these symptoms develop- bingeing and purging, depression and being moody and drastic weight change. They could all be pointing to an eating disorder. The problem then has to be recognized and acknowledged and treatment measures can be resorted to.


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