Bulimia Nervosa

1. Bulimia Nervosa James Bruce Per. 2

2. Defining What We Know As Bulimia • Bulimia is an eating disorder where one has episodes of consuming a large amount of food that carry high calories. These actions are followed by vomiting, the use of laxatives, fasting and excessive exercising.

3. Associated Features Actions Thoughts & Feelings • Regurgitating and then rechewing their food. • They find themselves binging and purging. • The use of drugs like enemas that is injected into the rectum. • Over using saunas to loose weight. • People with this disorder are very pessimistic and sees things as too big or too small. • They are overwhelmed and terrified about things that are going on in their life. • These people are totally out of control and helpless and is aware of that.

4. Diagnostic Criteria from DSM IV-TR • Eating a large amount of food in a discrete period of time like two hours. • Knowing that you have no self control during such actions like eating a vast amount of food. • Uncontrollable amount of self evaluation. • Looking for ways to prevent weight gain whether it means doing drugs, fasting, using laxatives, or excessive exercising. • It is average that the person may binge twice a week for three whole months.

5. Etiology • In most cases, bulimia is seen as contagious after seeing friends and family do it, you perform the same behavior. • When one voice isn't heard, their mind is thinking so much that their thoughts become their actions and so they feel they will receive attention by doing such behavior.

6. Prevalence • This disorder is most common to happen to women in their late teens or early twenties. • The impact this disorder has on the worlds population is 1%-4% and isn't easily seen by one’s environment. • It has been shown that since what causes this disorder happens in their childhood, 1%-3% of middle and high school students has bulimia while 4% of college women are diagnosed with this.

7. Treatment • The best way to approach this disorder is by seeing a physician as soon as possible. • After you have seen what's going on with your body, you should see a therapist so that they can see what's going on with you mentally and look into your thoughts. • With this, you develop a comfortable relationship with the therapist and your more open to seeing harm that you’ve brought to your surroundings. • Antidepressants are also used to treat bulimia nervosa and 1/3 of them that take it recover but therapy is seen as a better approach.

8. Prognosis Outcomes • During the period of time your having these issues, your teeth begin to fall out because of all the acid that’s in your mouth when you throw up. • You soon become to be emotionally unstable because of all the emotions you go through.

9. Prognosis Recovery • 74% of the people that attempt to make a recovery from this disorder makes full recovery opposed to anorexia making a 33% recovery rate. • The remainder of the people that attempt to recover makes up a 99% partial recovery rate.

10. References: APA Style • Bulimia Treatment.(2001) What is Bulimia Nervosa? America Journal of Psychiatry. Retrieved from (bulimia-treatment.net) • Orliss, M.(1998). Bulimia Nervosa. Retrieved from (education.ucsb.edu/jimerson/bulimia.html#buli mia%20etiology) • Growth Center.(2006). How Common Is Bulimia Nervosa. The Center For Growth. Retrieved from (therapyinphiladelphia.com/selfhelp/tips/how_common_is_bulimia_nervosa/) • Myers, D.G.(2011). Myers’ Psychology For A.P. New York: Worth Publishers • Hall, L., & Cohn, Leigh.(2010). What Thoughts and Feelings Are Associated With It? Retrieved from (bulimia.com/client/client_pages/bulimia9.cfm

11. Discussion Question Argue and evaluate, whether one’s environment or a person’s thoughts has the most significant impact on causing disorders as such.