Bulimia Nervosa - What To Expect

Bulimia can affect both men and women. However, according to studies conducted by researchers, it has been seen that bulimia is more common in women. Men, especially those involved in physical activities such as sports and athletics sometimes tend to hide their eating disorder better.

The purging techniques of bulimia are not only restricted to physical elimination in the form of vomiting and taking laxatives. People who engage in excessive exercise or go on stringent crash diets immediately after binge eating are also undergoing a process of bodily elimination of the food.

The treatment for bulimia nervosa involves taking medications, undergoing psychological counselling, followed by therapy. The medications generally prescribed for treating people with bulimia nervosa are antidepressants such as fluoxetine. The need to binge-eat often stems from mental stresses such as depression, anxiety disorders and catastrophizing. In such cases the antidepressants help to keep depressive thoughts under-control.

The process of bulimia which involves an excessive amount of binge eating followed by purging causes the body to lose out on important nutrients and electrolytes which are crucial for bodily functioning. This can lead to various heart disorders and also stroke. Further, bulimia can cause the stomach to rupture as a result of ulcers. Bulimia Nervosa is a very serious type of binge-eating disorder.