Bulimia Nervosa Treatment
An overview of Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia Nervosa is classified as one of the three primary eating disorders along with Anorexia Nervosa and Compulsive Eating Disorder. This eating disorder is characterized by restraining the intake of sufficient food, if any is consumed at all, for a certain length of time until the individual follows it up with an over intake of food. This is usually referred to as a binging period that results from the individual having lower self esteem and extreme feelings of guilt at the same time.
As a result of the above, many individuals enter Bulimia Nervosa treatment and recovery centers for help and to recover from their eating disorder. In addition to the binging that typically follows the lack of food intake, the individual may also practice a number of compensatory measures which oftentimes include:
- the use of diuretics, enemas, and laxatives
- purging (a.k.a. defensive vomiting)
- over exercising
In addition to the above, bulimics (not non-bulimics) tend to develop affective disorders such as depression and panic attacks or other general anxiety disorders. These are prime examples of what an affective disorder usually is. In any case, the above may require that the suffering individual enters a Bulimia Nervosa treatment program for help.
Diagnosis and sub-types
Adolescence (the ages of 13 to 20) is typically when you will see the onset of any type of eating disorder. In many of these cases, the individual has suffered from obesity or currently is, so it is not uncommon for a person who enters a Bulimia Nervosa treatment program for help to complete it and then eventually relapse back into the behavior again. Bulimia Nervosa treatment addresses the two specific sub-types of the disorder which includes the following:
Non-purging Bulimics – roughly 6% to 8% of non-purging types either exercise or fast to excess after they binge in order to offset their calorie intake encountered when they were eating. Granted, purging Bulimics may also exercise or fast excessively. However, they use exercise and fasting as a secondary form of controlling their weight.
Purging Bulimics – these types of Bulimics typically induce their own vomiting by ingesting ipecac or syrup (used as emetics) to remove the food that they consumed as rapidly as they can. They will oftentimes use diuretics, enemas, or laxatives to assist in the purging process.
Let Harmony Grove help you
Our facility offers Bulimia Nervosa treatment programs that can be targeted to the specific needs of the individual so that they successfully recover from their disorder and go on to lead a healthy and normal life once they have completed the program.