Bulimia Nervosa is an illness that is most commonly found in girls of late adolescence and early adulthood. It is characterized by episodes of binge eating: eating large quantities of food in a very short time. This behavior may be very severe with enormous quantities being consumed, mostly carbohydrates. To prevent the otherwise inevitable consequence of weight gain, there are periods of food restriction and often vomiting, laxative abuse or excessive exercising. When vomiting is used then the binges become multiple with repeating cycles over several hours in which the sufferer eats until full, then vomits and eats again. With increasing severity, the girls" lives become more chaotic with the focus increasingly on the bulimic behavior.
Signs that may indicate that there is a problem include the tendency to leave the table immediately after a meal. Vomiting is most frequently induced by forcing two fingers of the right hand down the throat. This often causes a chronic blister just below the knuckle where it rubs on the upper teeth. Repeated vomiting quite often leads to a swelling of the salivary glands that show as a soft swelling at the base of the ears or just under the chin. If it goes on for many years the swellings become hard and permanent.
What are the types of bulimia nervosa?.
There are three types of bulimia namely simple, anorexic and multi-impluse bulimia nervosa.
1. Simple bulimia nervosa: It begins most commonly when the girls are about 18 .
years of age. They are usually mildly under-confident and unassertive, and come from .
a large range of family backgrounds. The illness is usually triggered by a period of .
unhappiness, for example a destructive relationship with a boyfriend. The focus is on .
appearance and dieting begins in an attempt to improve self esteem. This form of .
bulimia nervosa is the least severe but the severity varies considerably. Many of these .
sufferers do not seek medical help until they plan to start a family and are worried .
