Bulimia - the main symptoms
Let's start with the fact that the patient bulimia give out two things. First, an incredible appetite, which can not quench. Secondly, the enormous efforts he made to get rid of calories absorbed.
Unlike patients with anorexia nervosa victims can not be instantly recognizable in the crowd, focusing on excessive thinness and refusal of food. Typically, the weight bulimic patients roughly corresponds to the norm, although each individual case of bulimia, and do not exclude significant deviations from normal weight.
Patients bulimia are often ashamed of their uncontrollable appetite and try to hide the symptoms of this disease. Often, they secretly ate his heart's content, and then provoke vomiting to get rid of eaten, and on the people eating in moderation, does not differ from healthy people, or even limit the consumption of food.
Typically, patients with bulimia are watching their weight and figure, so often or periodically attempt to comply with diet. The system of self-weight and figure occupy almost the first place. Often, this is what factors determine their attitude toward themselves.
Specific symptoms of bulimia
This is an eating disorder characterized by periodic instances of gluttony, which occur at least twice a month for three months. During such attacks unquenchable appetite when sick sweep away everything, there is the following:
- Gluttony, ie consumption for a short time (eg, within two hours) in the amount of food that most people could not eat for the same time and under similar circumstances.
- The feeling of loss of control over himself during this attack (eg, feeling that it is impossible to abstain or impossible to control the amount of food eaten).
Victims of bulimia often try to control the consumption of food or at least prevent weight gain. To do this they call the forced vomiting, abuse laxatives, diuretics, enemas, and other similar means to prevent the assimilation of food, refuse to eat (hunger), or actively involved in sports.
This is a violation of digestion can be diagnosed only if it can not be explained by anorexia.
There are two types of bulimia:
1. Classic (purgatory): the patient regularly provokes vomiting or abusing laxatives, diuretics or enemas.
2. Bulimia nervosa as a second stage: the patient uses other compensatory behavior, such as hunger or actively engaged in sports, but does not provoke vomiting regularly and not to abuse laxatives, diuretics or enemas.
Treatment of bulimia
Cognitive-behavioral therapy includes standard elements of behavioral therapy, but the focus is concentrated on identifying and changing faulty thinking patterns, beliefs and attitudes that can cause and exacerbate attacks of binge-eating or the other extreme - a complete rejection of food. Monitoring of food consumption - a key element of therapy, and identification of promoters and their removal or the development of alternative responses to such stimulation.
Interpersonal Psychotherapy focuses on the problems of interpersonal relationships, self-esteem, self-esteem, social skills and strategies to address these problems.
Various forms of family therapy. The task of family therapy - to help family members to change the factors that could pbulimiyaovliyat on the development of some pathologies of thinking ill bulimia. The blame for this disease is not only the patient.
When a bulimic patient is recovering very effective group therapy. Communicate in the group allows participants to share experiences, discuss ways to overcome the disease and find out about similar experiences of others. In addition, helping others helps to improve self-identity. Unit must be an experienced leader, specially trained.
Medicines
Many people with bulimia also suffer from depression, symptoms that disappear under the action of antidepressants. To date, only fluoxetine, Prozac is approved for treatment of bulimia Office of the sanitary supervision of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This reduces the frequency of seizures antidepressant gluttony and the desire to free the stomach by vomiting in patients with moderate and severe bulimia.