The concept of bulimia nervosa, the main psychological causes of its development. The clinical picture of the disorder, methods of treatment and the main methods of prevention. Bulimia nervosa is a mental disorder that is closely related to uncontrolled overeating. On an emotional basis, a person begins to experience the strongest hunger, which must be immediately satisfied. Thus, weight is quickly gained. Later comes the realization of the irrationality of the action and attempts to correct what has been done. Sometimes it even comes down to artificial urge to vomit and taking large doses of laxatives.
Description of the disease "bulimia nervosa"
Whether a person has bouts of binge eating does not always affect their weight. Some try to immediately use up the calories they receive through exercise, pills, laxatives, or other means. So, people with bulimia nervosa may be obese, but most have quite average weight indicators.
Even after taking a significant amount of food, hunger, which is based not on physiological needs, but on mental attitudes, does not stop. The disease disturbs a person painfully, and he tries to get rid of the consequences of his gluttony.
Moreover, people often feel tremendous guilt for such incontinence, trying by any means to correct their weakness. They see bulimia as something to be ashamed of, so the statistics are far from reflecting the true prevalence of the disorder.
Along with anorexia, this disease occupies an important place among mortality due to mental illness. Therefore, bulimia and anorexia have become the plague of the 21st century.
Research data among Americans indicate the extreme importance and urgency of this problem. A quarter of teenage girls answered that they control their weight in various ways through overeating and further cleansing. About 91% of women at least once in their life have limited their diet, were on a diet or in other ways tried to adjust their figure.
Only 10-15% of bulimic patients are men. This is due to the peculiarities of their temperament, as well as other patterns of response to stress factors.
For women, however, their weight plays an important role in the formation of self-esteem. Modern ideals of beauty dictate harsh conditions that some physically cannot fulfill. Not adhering to them causes a wave of negativity and condemnation in society, so the problem is more social than psychological.
For people with bulimia, overeating is a way to cope with a surging emotional state. First of all, they seize the problem, then they extremely regret their indecision and weakness, induce vomiting or exhaust themselves with heavy physical exertion.
Reproaches of conscience actually torment a person, constantly reminding him of his wrongdoing. People with bulimia consider their illness and weakness for outbursts of gluttony to be something shameful and humiliating, so they often do not seek help. Statistics show that only 1 out of 10 people with similar symptoms goes to the doctor. Most are silent and hide their "flaw".
Both adults and adolescents can get sick. Naturally, the peak of the disease falls on young people from 16 to 22 years old. It was during this period that girls and guys are too preoccupied with their own appearance. Over time, the disease progresses, and the earlier the necessary treatment is started, the better results can be achieved.
The causes of bulimia nervosa in humans
Each person who suffers from bulimia finds for himself separate reasons that push him to such actions. They may differ depending on age, cultural environment and personality traits.
Stress is one of the most common causes of bulimia. These can be acute one-off events that shock a person and unsettle their life. Or chronic stress - constant troubles at work, at school or at home.
For adolescents, it can be conflict situations with peers, ridicule, resentment. Such an attitude deeply hurts and touches the living. Overeating can be an emotional response to anxiety and worry.
The child "seizes" the problem, trying to get rid of the obsessive feeling. At the same time, he understands the incorrectness of his actions and tries to get rid of the consequences in the form of excess weight.
Very often, overeating becomes a consequence of unrequited love, which often happens at puberty. Strongly worried about this, the person begins to overeat.
Heredity plays an important role in the causes of bulimia. A tendency to develop similar symptoms can be transmitted through generations, but it does not necessarily manifest itself in everyone in the family.
The vast majority of all bulimic sufferers are people with low self-esteem. They try to find other ways of self-affirmation in order to improve their well-being. Sometimes they hide their illness even more carefully because they are embarrassed to be exposed and stand out.
The problem of low self-esteem is the main pathogenetic mechanism of the formation of the attitude to overeating. Substitution of attention, universal recognition with the help of food occurs as a kind of compensatory reaction, a defense mechanism for weakness.
The presence of endocrine problems can also negatively affect the emotional and mental state of a person. So, diseases of some glands form hormonal imbalances in the human body, causing emotional outbursts.
The main signs of bulimia nervosa
The main feature of bulimia is the feeling of hunger. This is in contrast to the appetite that comes with or before a meal and continues with the enjoyment of the flavor of the food. Such patients rarely even chew, swallowing unprocessed pieces of food.
Moreover, there is no enjoyment of taste. A person rarely gets hung up on how a dish is prepared. The very fact of eating without other aspects is important. Throughout an attack, people can eat a lot of food in a row, without wondering about the compatibility of foods, their freshness, or the degree of doneness.
As soon as this period is over, there comes a realization of what was done and a deep regret. For young girls and not only, the especially important consequences of bulimia nervosa will be an increase in body weight, changes in physical parameters. That is why the phase of purification immediately begins.
A person is trying to get rid of the "evidence" of a kind of "crime". They are looking for the most unpleasant methods of detoxification, frequent urge to vomit, taking laxatives that cleanse the intestines. So, people try to atone for their guilt before themselves.
Most often, such attacks can occur at night, when there is a low likelihood of being caught overeating. The opinion of others is too important for people with bulimia.
While eating, a person feels a kind of relief, a sense of satisfaction and is distracted from emotional experiences. Thus, it creates a pathological reflex, which implies overeating in each case of exposure to an emotional stress factor.
The consequences of bulimia can manifest themselves both from the physical organs and systems, and from the standpoint of mental functions. Frequent vomiting, which contains hydrochloric acid, affects the condition of the gums, teeth and salivary glands. The enamel is gradually destroyed under the influence of gastric juice, the gums are often inflamed. This can cause a number of its symptoms.
Frequent urge to vomit can rarely cause stomach bleeding. Also, metabolic changes in the blood occur due to the increased loss of acid radicals, alkalosis occurs. The work of the liver, pancreas is disrupted.
Psychological changes in personality also play a very important role. Eating is the main process that brings pleasure. Due to overeating, a person feels guilty, withdraws into himself, becomes depressed.
Ways to combat bulimia nervosa in humans
The therapeutic approach to the treatment of bulimia is individual for each patient. All factors of the formation of this disorder, the characteristics of the manifestation and the presence of complications are taken into account.
Psychotherapy
The problem of overeating belongs to the psychological category. This is why a psychiatrist or psychotherapist should be involved in treating bulimia nervosa. These doctors specialize in similar conditions and know exactly how to treat it.
The arsenal of psychotherapeutic tools includes cognitive behavioral therapy. It is most often used in this case. The doctor establishes a trusting contact with the person. Asks about the onset of symptoms of bulimia nervosa and the signs that preceded it. Thus, as a result of several conversations, it is possible to identify those attitudes that trigger overeating.
From the point of view of a doctor, it is possible to identify patterns before each attack, evaluate the factors that led to this, and form an optimal scheme for psychotherapeutic correction of this psychological disorder.
Since bulimia is a pathological defensive reaction to some factor, one should consider its irrationality and understand the causes of its occurrence. Then you need to form a new, more effective model of behavior, which will stand as a barrier between the same situations and psychological response.
It is important to teach a person to cope with stress in ways that would not bring harm and psychological distress, unlike bulimia.
Diet therapy
This method of treatment does not mean that you need to exhaust your body with extraordinary eating patterns or physical activity on your own. For this, there are dietitians who are able to individually calculate the optimal meal schedule, the distribution of products, nutrients.
In addition, dosed exercise under the supervision of a trainer will be an important aspect of normalizing body weight and eliminating bouts of bulimia. Most people with bulimia suffer from dissatisfaction with their appearance. A person should be taught how to achieve results correctly and not go to extremes.
It is important to provide the body with all useful substances and vitamins. The correct diet has a high energy value if a person goes in for sports at the same time, because this requires a lot of energy.
Diet restrictions for bulimia consist in a specific meal plan for each day, which are tied to a specific period of time. Thus, the body receives a certain amount of food and the time it takes to process it.
Avoid nighttime bouts of hunger with a light snack after dinner with foods that don't take too long to process. Thus, sleep improves, and the person is not forced to wake up in the middle of the night.
Drug treatment
Pharmacological drugs are indicated for those for whom other methods of treating bulimia nervosa do not bring the desired effect, or as part of the complex therapy of severe forms of the disease. Prescribing medications should be carried out under the strict supervision of a physician, taking into account individual characteristics.
Pharmacological medications are rarely prescribed for juvenile patients. In such cases, plant-based products are more often used, they have a smaller range of side effects, but at the same time, they are less effective.
Correction of mood and behavior should be carried out with the help of sedatives. Very often, irritability can provoke excitement and greatly complicate a person's life. Sedatives are prescribed to restore the long-awaited peace, relieve tension and calm down.
If a depressive reaction develops, appropriate treatment should be developed. Antidepressants are selected individually for each person, taking into account the symptoms that are observed. They are able to adjust the mood, remove the alarming background and control bad food habits.
Prescribing drugs for bulimia nervosa in this group should take place with a gradual increase in dosage every day. The proper effect of such treatment can be seen only in a few weeks, so it should be understood that such therapy will not give instant results.
Features of prevention of bulimia nervosa
To prevent the development of bulimia, you should focus on its psychological factors of occurrence. Childhood memories, upbringing, and the intensity of stressful situations play important roles.
Consider the features of prevention of bulimia nervosa:
- Family microclimate … Raising a child with the formation of correct self-esteem significantly affects the development of bulimia in the future.
- The role of food … Food intake should not be involved in educational activities. It should be explained that food is not a reward or a way of psychological escape from reality, but simply a physiological need that must be satisfied, regardless of external stress factors or experiences.
- Appearance issue … It is recommended to explain to the child that obesity is not always the result of frequent food intake, and its quality and composition play a more important role.
- Support … Comprehensive support from family and friends helps to acquire an independent opinion about your own body and diets.
How to treat bulimia nervosa - watch the video:
The problem with bulimia is that it is very difficult to diagnose. The appearance of such people is not at all different, but the internal state is constantly deteriorating. The sooner you start therapy, the better your chances of effective recovery and recovery.
