Nowadays, the cult of the perfect body ends up influencing people, especially women, to use any artifice to keep themselves thin. Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by eating a large amount of food, usually rich in calories, followed by compensatory methods. These compensatory methods can be: the use of laxatives or diuretics, the practice of intense physical exercises or the induction of vomiting. People with this eating disorder are usually of normal weight and follow strict diets. In addition, some fasts are rigorously and ingest anorectics, drugs that reduce appetite and cause agitation, dependence and numerous undesirable effects.
Bulimia and anorexia are different. In bulimia there is binge eating followed by compensatory methods. In anorexia, the person stops eating, losing weight quickly, sometimes reaching a state of severe malnutrition that can lead to death.
In bulimia, the compulsion to eat large amounts of food rich in calories is frequent, followed by induced vomiting. Generally, the bulimic person has low self-esteem and is obsessed with the weight and shape of their bodies. When they self-induce vomiting, they do it on the sly.
Cardiac arrhythmias, inflammation of the throat and salivary glands, bleeding from the esophagus, gastrointestinal problems, caries and dehydration are common in patients with bulimia. Some patients may also experience fatigue, fainting, dry skin, irregularity or loss of menstruation, constipation, mood swings, and depression.
Bulimia can be caused by psychological, biological, family and cultural factors (such as the cult of the perfect body). Usually the person who has bulimia hides this from family members because they are ashamed of their attacks compulsive over food, and judges this behavior as a lack of self-control, which helps in low self esteem.
Bulimia is curable and its treatment consists of antidepressant medications, healthy eating habits and individual or group therapy.
Paula Louredo
Graduated in Biology