What is a common characteristic of a person with bulimia?

Living in fear of gaining weight. Repeated episodes of eating abnormally large amounts of food in one sitting. Feeling a loss of control during bingeing — like you can't stop eating or can't control what you eat. Forcing yourself to vomit or exercising too much to keep from gaining weight after bingeing.


What are 5 characteristics of bulimia?

DSM-5 and Bulimia Nervosa
  • Recurrent episodes of binge eating. ...
  • Ongoing compensatory behaviors in order to prevent weight gain from binges.
  • Binge eating and compensatory behaviors both occur at least once a week for at least three months.
  • Self-esteem is significantly influenced by body shape or weight.


What is a physical characteristic of bulimia?

Other physical symptoms of bulimia nervosa can include: Swollen cheeks or jawline. Gastrointestinal problems such as constipation and acid reflux. Scars, scrapes or calluses on your knuckles (from forced throwing up).


What is a characteristic of bulimia nervosa quizlet?

The person regularly engages in either self-induced vomiting, use of laxatives or diuretics, strict dieting or fasting, or vigorous exercise to prevent weight gain.

What are 4 characteristics of bulimia?

Bulimia signs and symptoms may include:
  • Being preoccupied with your body shape and weight.
  • Living in fear of gaining weight.
  • Repeated episodes of eating abnormally large amounts of food in one sitting.
  • Feeling a loss of control during bingeing — like you can't stop eating or can't control what you eat.


Why are eating disorders so hard to treat? - Anees Bahji



What are three physical effects of bulimia?

Frequent purging can cause dehydration. This leads to weak muscles and extreme fatigue. It can also throw your electrolytes out of balance and put strain on your heart. This can cause an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), and in some severe cases, a weakened heart muscle and heart failure.

Can you tell if someone has bulimia?

Unusual behavior around meals: Consistently disappearing following a meal, especially to the bathroom, can be a sign indicative of bulimia. The same can be said for finding open wrappers or stashes of food in unusual places; for instance, opened packs of candy bars underneath one's bed or in their closet.

Does bulimia change your personality?

Bulimia nervosa is similar to anorexia nervosa in that it is also characterized by harm avoidance. Individuals with bulimia nervosa are more likely to exhibit shyness, pessimistic thinking, excessive worry and doubt and are easily fatigued.


What bulimia does to your face?

“Chipmunk Cheeks”: A Common Sign of Bulimia

One of the telltale signs of bulimia is the appearance of swollen cheeks – colloquially known as “chipmunk cheeks” – on the sides of the face. Caused by the enlargement of the parotid glands (one of the salivary glands), the medical term for this phenomenon is sialadenosis.

What organs does bulimia damage?

Bulimia can permanently damage your stomach and intestines, causing other problems like constipation, diarrhea, and irritable bowel syndrome. Hormonal problems. Reproductive issues, including irregular periods, missed periods, and fertility problems are common side effects when you have bulimia.

What is the long term effect of bulimia?

Other effects can include cavities, gum disease, intestinal problems, hair loss, dry skin, sleep problems, stroke, and organ failure. Due to this intense damage to the body, people with bulimia are at risk of death if they do not seek treatment.


What is the most serious consequence of bulimia?

The health consequences of bulimia are most often related to purging behaviors.
  • Dehydration.
  • Electrolyte imbalances.
  • Irregular heartbeat.
  • Heart failure.
  • Tooth decay.
  • Acid reflux.
  • Inflammation and rupture of esophagus.
  • Intestinal distress and irritation.


What does bulimia do to your brain?

By studying the brain scans of women with and without bulimia, researchers have discovered that their brains react differently to food cues. They found that, in women with bulimia, there is less blood flow in a part of the brain that is linked to self-thinking.

Is bulimia a serious mental illness?

Bulimia nervosa (commonly known as bulimia) is an eating disorder and serious mental health problem. Someone with bulimia might feel parts of their lives are out of control and use purging to give them a sense of control. Bulimia is a serious condition that can cause long-term damage, but help is available.


What does bulimia do to your mental health?

Mental and emotional health

The feelings of guilt, shame, lack of control, and distorted body image that many people with bulimia experience seem to fuel the binge-purge cycle. The burden of keeping the condition secret may also cause a person to feel additional stress and anxiety.

What are 3 warning signs of bulimia?

Episodes of binge eating. Self-induced vomiting. Smelling like vomit. Misuse of laxatives and diuretics.

What triggers bulimia relapse?

What Causes a Relapse? While excessive calorie counting or body image issues can certainly trigger a relapse, eating disorders expert Lauren Muhlheim, Psy. D. says she most often sees patients relapse after a major life-changing event, such as going to college or ending a relationship.


Is bulimia damage reversible?

Eating disorders damage nearly every system in the body, but people living with even the most extreme forms of anorexia or bulimia can recover with treatment.

What does severe bulimia look like?

Recurrent episodes of binge eating (eating unusually large quantities of food in a short period of time with feelings of loss of control) followed by inappropriate weight compensatory behaviors (including self-induced vomiting, laxative or diuretic misuse, and excessive exercise) at least once-weekly during the past ...

Can bulimia cause sudden death?

In women diagnosed with severe bulimia and hypokalemia, QT interval prolongation and repolarization abnormalities may lead to sudden acute ventricular arrhythmias and death.


Does bulimia cause trauma?

One study regarding the link between eating disorders and PTSD found that about one third of women with bulimia nervosa, 20% with binge eating disorder and 11.8% with other types of eating disorders also meet the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Can bulimia cause anger issues?

Anger and aggressive behaviours, especially those self-directed, are frequent in subjects suffering from anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. They increase the complexity of the clinical features, change the prognosis and cause a more difficult management of these disorders.

How long can bulimics live?

For many, bulimia is a life-long condition. Some people with bulimia are able to develop a healthy relationship with food and exercise after the first treatment. Others may have a relapse and need treatment again.


How often is bulimia fatal?

Mortality of Eating Disorders

Another study of 246 women diagnosed with anorexia or bulimia and reported 11 (4.5%) died from their illness over time. [2] Of these women, 10 had intake diagnoses of anorexia and 1 had bulimia. This study reinforces the aforementioned one, finding anorexia more lethal than bulimia.

Is bulimia hard on your heart?

Bulimia is also associated with psychosocial stress and anxiety, both of which are independent risk factors for heart disease and premature death, the study team notes. Among every 1,000 patients with bulimia, roughly 10 will develop heart disease each year and roughly three will die, researchers calculated.