Bulimia Nervosa Signs, Symptoms and Rehab Treatment

Bulimia, or Bulimia Nervosa, is a condition that is characterised by an individual’s obsession with his/her weight and body shape. Bulimia’s primary symptoms are shame and guilt concerning physical appearance, especially concerning being perceived as fat. Like an individual suffering from anorexia or another eating disorder, a person who is bulimic will judge his/herself harshly for any perceived flaw regarding weight or size.

People without eating disorders can criticise themselves without displaying negative behaviours alongside their opinions. But, for a person who is bulimic, self-criticism concerning weight can result in significant mental and emotional distortions – feeing trapped in an addictive relationship with food. In a second, eating may appear to be the best solution for dealing with difficult feelings, and in the next second, food will seem like the origin of all their sorrow and life problems.

If this is you or a loved one, we can help. Call us today on 0203 553 9263 and discuss your Bulimia rehab options!

Our Eating Disorder Clinic

We have years of experience helping people of all ages and from all walks of life successfully overcome eating disorders such as bulimia. Regardless of the severity of your bulimia, we can help you make a full recovery. We provide treatment by first carefully understanding your condition and the factors that led to it. With this information, we can develop a personalised course of treatment to help you recover effectively and safely.

We can offer you an inpatient or outpatient treatment programme and are staffed by competent and compassionate professionals who will be there to keep you healthy, comfortable, and safe at all times.

What is Bulimia?

Bulimia nervosa can be described as an eating disorder characterised by periods of excessive overeating or binging which is then followed by compensatory behaviour of some sort. Those that are bulimic live in constant fear of gaining weight, but this doesn’t necessarily imply that all bulimics are underweight. Some individuals living with bulimia are obese or overweight and commonly use forced vomiting or purging to lose weight or prevent weight gain.

Bulimia nervosa shouldn’t be perceived as anything less than a serious mental illness with huge negative health consequences. Unlike those with anorexia who actively work at hiding symptoms of their self-starvation, bulimic individuals are usually a normal weight or can even be a bit overweight. This can lead people to think their eating disorder is okay when it isn’t.

What Causes Bulimia?

The primary cause of bulimia isn’t always easy to determine. Also, what caused one individual’s bulimia may not be same as what caused that of another individual. Some people are genetically predisposed to developing bulimia, while others simply develop theirs due to psychological and/or emotional causes.

Psychological and emotional causes that can contribute to the development of bulimia include a struggle with physical perfectionism, low self-esteem, or trouble controlling impulsive behaviours. It has also been noticed that the families of bulimic individuals usually have some form of ongoing conflicts, or higher rates of alcoholism. A bulimic person may also have a history of sexual, emotional, and/or physical abuse which led to feelings of self-loathing or uselessness that contributed to the development of bulimia.

Signs & Symptoms

It is important that you can identify the symptoms of bulimia as soon as possible so that you can get treatment before irreparable damage is done. Among men and women, signs of bulimia and its physical damage can include:

Fatigue
Muscle cramps
Dry skin
Bloating
Menstrual irregularities
Dehydration
Abnormal bowel function
Fainting
Seizure
Irregular heartbeat

There can also be behavioural symptoms such as:

Purging behaviours after bingeing
Loss of control during episodes of bingeing
Obsession with body weight, image, and/or dieting
Repeated binge eating episodes

If you have noticed two or more of the above symptoms, it is best to visit a psychiatrist or another type of eating disorder specialist for a thorough diagnosis.

How do We Treat Bulimia?

There is no one-size-fits-all cure for bulimia nervosa. It takes work and commitment from both the patient and the treatment provider. The best course of treatment for bulimia will depend on the individual and a variety of other factors. To ensure each patient gets the best possible treatment, we first conduct an evaluation process and use the results to personalise treatment

Generally, our bulimia treatment consists of:

one-on-one therapy sessions
medication
expressive and experiential therapy
group therapy sessions
behaviour modification
emotion management
family therapy
twelve-step facilitation and meetings
nutrition counselling
weekly psychiatric consultation
trauma awareness and recovery groups
psychotherapy

The goal of a bulimia treatment plan provided by our specialists will be to help you achieve the following:

Restore you to a healthy body weight
Address distorted thinking
Treat emotional problems such as low self-esteem
Help you make behavioural changes that will help you achieve lasting recovery

16 – 18 Treatment

Our sister centre in Banbury, Oxfordshire, can be of assistance if you have a loved one between the ages of 16 and 18 suffering from bulimia nervosa. Treating bulimia isn’t the same for adults and teenagers, especially because of the developmental problems that may occur in younger individuals. Our sister centre in Banbury has the necessary resources and expertise to help your teenager retake control of his/her life, recover from an eating disorder, and stay healthy long term.

Bulimia Post Treatment Support

To guarantee that the positive effects of your treatment are not short lived, we provide follow-up care and continued support. After you are discharged from our facility, you can take advantage of this service to help you stay focused on living a healthy lifestyle and preventing relapse. Our support system will also help you overcome any stressors or triggers that may cause you to become bulimic again.

In Summary

If you or a loved one suffer from bulimia nervosa or any other eating disorder, we can help. Call our confidential helpline today by dialling 0203 553 9263 and discuss our eating disorder rehab treatment!