We see the need to eat as an important and indispensable behavior in human life. It is absolutely necessary for human survival. Every culture has its own unique taste and understanding of food. In the world, eating and getting rid of excess weight resulting from eating has a market share of millions of dollars in the economic world. Considering this intense interest in food and eating, it is inevitable that this aspect of human behavior is not linked to a disorder.
Bulimia neurosis, binge eating attacks and subsequent vomiting seem to be at the forefront. Since the patient still wants to have a thin body, he resorts to various methods to eliminate the calorie-producing effects of what he eats, as in anorexia nervosa. However, unlike this picture, the patient is slightly overweight or of normal body weight.
Bulimia Nervosa (vomiting disorder) is characterized by recurrent bouts of overeating and the patient's excessive preoccupation with controlling his body weight; For this reason, it is known as a specific syndrome with excessive efforts to reduce the fattening effects of the foods one eats. Bulimia; It is used in Greek to mean "to be hungry like an ox". This disease also involves periods of eating unusual amounts of food followed by conscious elimination methods. These methods used to prevent weight gain are generally; It consists of purging, fasting, excessive exercise or use of laxatives. Pleasure eating episodes occurring in DSM-IV Bulimia Nervosa; It is defined as "consuming more food in less than 2 hours than most people would eat under the same conditions." Pleasure eating typically occurs in secrecy; often a stressor is a trigger, activating negative emotions; such as loneliness, eating in social situations, or worrying about weight gain. This pleasure-based eating continues until the person becomes uncomfortably full. During this period, the person loses control over his eating behavior and the amount of food consumed. Foods preferred during this period are generally high-calorie and quick-to-eat foods such as ice cream, chocolate, and cake. As in Anorexia Nervosa, weight gain is a common cause for Bulimia patients. The anxiety it creates is quite high. Again, in Bulimia Nervosa, as in Anorexia, distortions occur in the perception of the person's body appearance, and these people may believe that they are overweight even if they are of normal weight.
Bulimic patients respond to requests for help, as in Anorexia Nervosa. Even though they feel guilty after episodes of binge eating and vomiting and try to hide these behaviors, they eagerly seek help. Long-term follow-ups show that more than half of patients diagnosed with Bulimia and treated regain their health within five years. However, the course of the disease also depends on the severity of the symptoms that occur as a result of vomiting. In long-lasting cases, deterioration in relationships, problems in business life and decrease in self-worth may be observed, and it is known that it is beneficial to address such factors clinically.
Unlike Anorexia, Bulimia patients are extroverts. In addition, it has been observed that they are angry and impulsive. Due to the problems experienced by bulimia patients in impulse control, many problems are brought to the clinic. Substance abuse, emotional instability and suicide attempts are also frequently encountered in the stories of these patients.
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