Anorexia and Bulimia :: Causes of Bulimia Nervosa, Anorexia

A variation of Anorexia, Bulimia ranges fromexcessive food intake, to an out of controlcompulsive cycle of binge alimentation whereextraordinary amounts of any obtainable food,usually of high carbohydrate content, may beconsumed. Once having gorged, the victims areover answer with the urge to rd themselves of whatthey hate eaten by purging themselves, usually byvomiting, and sometimes by massive doses oflaxatives. Between these obsessive bouts, mostare able to accept some nutrition. Whereas the lean sufferer fears fatness from anticipatedloss of eating control, and unlike the anorexicsufferer the typical bulimic individual is notemaciated, but usually maintains a normal bodyweight and appears to be fit out and healthy.However, the obsessive binge purge cycle causesthem deep distress, shame, guilt, self-loathing andsocial isolation, and many will go to any lengths tohide their shameful secret from the family andfriends. Typical Sufferers The anorexic or bulimicmay be either sex, bu t the smaller percentage is inmales. However the male percentage is on theincrease. Most sufferers come from middle andupper income families, and are usually highlyintelligent. Anorexic and bulimic people are oftenperfectionists, with unrealistically highexpectations. They frequently lack self-esteem,with their feelings of ineffectuality and a strongneed for other peoples approval. Causes There isat present no generally accepted view of thecauses of anorexia or bulimia. Most authorities conceptualise the problem to be psychologically based,possibly stemming from family and socialpressures, or other forms of stress in our modernenvironment. Where a high value is placed onslim-ness, women are most likely to be judged ontheir appearance, against a heavy background ofhigh carbohydrate junk food promotion. Often, theillness is triggered by a major change in thepersons life. Age and Extent Anorexia tends tostart in early the early teens, whereas bulimiausually occurs in the juvenile tee ns and older agegroups. Sometimes bulimia develops out ofanorexia, but can occur without a previous historyof anorexia. It often persists over many years. It isknow girls as young as 8 years of age haddisplayed an unhealthy pre-occupation withdieting. The full extent of the problem is notknown, but estimates very from iodin in everyhundred school girls with anorexia, to six percentof Australian women with bulimia. Since bulimia isnot a physically obvious condition, the numberscould be far higher. kindly Isolation People whohave anorexia or bulimia have probably beenfeeling isolated and friendless for a long time. Thismay have been one of the factors contributing totheir belief that they are essentially unacceptablepeople. However, the condition itself increasessocial isolation. Sufferers dare not let people gettoo close to them in case their real self, which they