Transcript Liceo Scientifico Francesco Redi

Liceo Scientifico Francesco Redi
BULIMIA
Teacher: Elisa Vannuccini
Student: Caterina Mazzeo
What is bulimia nervosa?
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Bulimia is a serious psychiatric illness, an
eating disorder in which the person
regularly binge-eats and then tries to
compensate for that by vomiting and/or
using laxatives.
Types of bulimia
There are two common types of bulimia nervosa,
which are as follows:
• Bulimia nervosa purging type;
• Bulimia nervosa non-purging type.
What are the causes?
Scientists and experts are not sure what the exact causes
of bulimia nervosa are. They all agree that it is a result of
a combination of environmental and genetic factors.
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Genetics;
Being bullied;
Victims of abuse;
Traumatic/stressful life events;
Having mental health problems;
Low self-esteem;
Professions or activities that focus on
appearance/performance.
What are the signs and the symptoms?
The typical warning signs of bulimia are:
• Depression;
• Anxiety;
• Having a distorted, excessively negative body image;
• Preoccupation body shape and weight;
• Social isolation.
A person suffering from bulimia engages in episodes of
bingeing and purging.
Signs of bingeing
• Eating much more food in a binge episode than in a
normal meal or snack;
• Feeling that eating can’t be controlled once a binge
begins;
• Hiding or hoarding food;
• Making excuses for missing food, or money taken to
pay for binge foods;
• Eating until the point of physical discomfort or pain.
Signs of Purging
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They include:
Habitually going to the bathroom immediately after
eating or during meals;
Damaged teeth and gums;
Swollen salivary glands in the cheeks;
Persistent sores in the throat and mouth;
Sores, scars or calluses on the knuckles or hands
caused by self-induced vomiting;
Scratchy or raspy voice quality;
Misuse of ipecac syrup to induce vomiting.
Symptoms
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In a man or woman with signs of bulimia,
symptoms of increasing physical damage from the
disease may include:
Abnormal bowel functioning;
Bloating;
Dehydration;
Fainting;
Fatigue;
Dry skin;
Irregular heartbeat;
Menstrual irregularities or loss of menstruation
(amenorrhea);
Tingling in the hands or feet;
Muscle cramps.
The effects of bulimia on the body
Treatment
Treatment for bulimia nervosa usually includes:
• Admit you have a problem;
• Talk to someone;
• Stay away from people, places, and activities that
trigger the temptation to binge or purge;
• Seek professional help to break the binge-purge
cycle, to improve negative thoughts and to resolve
emotional issues.