Bulimic neurosis, often referred to simply as bulimia nervosa, is a serious and potentially damaging eating disorder. The world learned about the disorder a very long time ago, but even today this disorder is quite relevant and widespread. Bulimia neurotic requires mandatory therapeutic treatment.
Description of the disease
Bulimia is a pathology of a psychological nature, manifested in the form of a deviation from the usual pattern of behavior. The disease is accompanied by constant bouts of overeating that cannot be controlled. Several different terms are used in medicine to describe this disease. “Kinorexia,” “bulimic neurosis,” “bulimia,” and “bulimia nervosa” are the most common synonyms used as a diagnosis. The pathology in question is popularly called “wolf hunger.”
According to experts, bulimic neurosis poses a serious danger to the life of the patient, since the amount of food consumed is several times higher than the level of nutrients necessary for the normal functionality of the body . It should be noted that the patient cannot control this process in any way, as he constantly feels hungry. Also, many of the people with this diagnosis, in addition to unlimited food consumption, often resort to various methods of cleansing the body. Often, such unhealthy hobbies cause serious complications.
One of the most common methods of “cleansing the body” among patients with bulimia is artificially inducing vomiting after each meal. People often resort to using potent medications that have a laxative effect. It is important to note that such drastic methods are used several times during the day.
The cause of this behavior is mental disorders and disorders of the central nervous system. The danger of the disease in question is explained by the fact that a mental disorder prevents the patient from realizing that his actions are catastrophic for many internal organs and systems. The formation of bulimic neurosis contributes to the fact that such actions are perceived as a harmless habit. However, the longer therapy is delayed, the lower the chance of returning to a normal and fulfilling life.
According to medical statistics, only one person out of several hundred patients manages to cope with the disease on their own. In order to be able to overcome his habits, a person must have an unbending will and a stable psyche. In the realities of the modern world, where every individual faces various stress factors every day, the presence of “iron nerves” is quite rare.
According to medical experts, bulimic neurosis triggers destructive processes not only in the psyche, but also in the body.
Bulimic neurosis is a consequence of a mental disorder and disruption of the central nervous system.
Many patients of psychologists say that an insatiable feeling of hunger gives rise to a feeling of guilt and contributes to the development of depressive syndrome. The appearance of depression can provoke anorexia nervosa, which manifests itself in the form of a complete lack of appetite. Against this background, there is an increase in the level of neurasthenia and a disappearance of interest in life. This stage of development of pathology can provoke the use of alcohol and drugs. In order to promptly prevent the development of a mental disorder, the causes of its occurrence should be carefully studied.
Reasons for the development of kinorexia
Unfortunately, today there are many unresolved questions regarding the causes of the development of the disease. There are several proven theories related to the origin of bulimic neurosis. According to researchers, the development of the disease is provoked by the following internal factors:
- disruptions in the functionality of the central nervous system;
- hereditary factors;
- mental disorders;
- disturbances in the functioning of the endocrine system.
In addition, the development of bulimia is facilitated by chronic diseases that deplete the body and reduce the quality of the immune system. Often, additional reasons include systematic use of alcoholic beverages and drugs. A significant role in this issue is played by the level of stress resistance of a particular individual. Chronic stress has a detrimental effect on human life, since it often acts as the main cause of mental disorders.
Many psychologists say that the reason for the presence of a tendency to various neuroses may be emotional trauma suffered in childhood. The lack of parental love, understanding and support affects the level of self-criticism, the decrease of which gives rise to various complexes. It is these complexes that are the main reason for the emergence of the habit of “eating stress,” which provokes the development of the disease.
Neurotic bulimia
If a person does not have any somatic pathologies, and the amount of food he absorbs is many times higher than the norm for his age, weight and lifestyle, it is logical to suspect neurosis.
Before talking about bulimia, you need to understand what neurosis is. Neurosis is a functional (that is, reversible) disorder of the nervous system when a person develops an internal conflict within . “I don’t want, but I have to,” or “I can’t, but I want” - such situations happen in the lives of each of us all the time, but people prone to neurosis cannot resolve the internal conflict with the arguments of reason or a compromise with themselves.
The growing internal tension threatens to result in a nervous explosion. And then the psyche decides to distract the person’s attention by “slipping” him with some kind of conditional pleasure in return. This is how cravings for smoking, drinking alcoholic beverages, and, of course, eating large meals often develop.
Thus, a bulimic attack is a kind of “bridge” that allows you to bypass the internal problem. For example, the girl had not yet had time to reflect, when the thought arose in her head that her lover probably did not love her, that her new dress was making her look fat, and that her colleague would receive the desired promotion at work, when her brain helpfully gave her a false feeling of hunger. Now the girl doesn’t need to solve problems with her lover, dress and career ambitions right now, the main goal is to eat well!
You can “drown out” any troubles and stress only by eating a hearty meal.
After this hypothetical girl has a snack, she will experience a pleasant and blissful feeling - the parasympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for peace, relaxation and digestion of food, turns on.
Worth seeing: Depressive neurosis
Thus, the pattern can be considered fixed. Eating brings pleasure, “turns off” all negative thoughts about problems, and relaxes.
Clinical picture
Symptoms of bulimic neurosis are often individual in nature. Many patients report experiencing intense shame and guilt due to their inability to moderate their appetite. It is these feelings that provoke attempts to induce vomiting or take a laxative. Then the circle closes, and all the above actions begin in a circle. Some patients notice changes associated with increased food absorption. In this situation, even a slight weight gain can provoke emotional instability and the desire to withdraw into one’s own world. Lethargy and apathy force a person to plunge into voluntary isolation, avoiding communication with loved ones.
With bulimia, a person experiences constant bouts of hunger, which they try to suppress with high-calorie foods.
Experts distinguish three forms of the disease, each of which has its own characteristics:
- The first is that the feeling of irresistible hunger appears strictly in the evening hours.
- The second is a feeling of intense hunger that does not disappear even after eating a single meal.
- The third is constant eating that cannot be curbed or controlled.
Each of the above forms of the disease has only one common feature - attempts to artificially get rid of consumed foods.
but on the other hand
There are certain standards for how many foods (proteins, fats, carbohydrates and calories) a person should eat per day in order to feel alert and capable, maintain optimal weight and not overload the digestive tract.
After some time, when relaxation with a plate of food becomes a habit, other problems will arise:
- growing body weight;
- disorders of the gastrointestinal tract;
- problems with the heart and blood vessels due to excess weight;
- psychological discomfort in situations where food cannot be taken (for example, at a lecture).
People around him notice that a person eats too much, and the problem becomes obvious to the person with bulimia himself. This creates new stress, but, unfortunately, the psyche already has an effective and reliable way to get rid of stress - going to the refrigerator. And now the brain needs to solve a new puzzle of how to cope with stress, when the way to get rid of stress is stress itself!
With bulimic neurosis, it is impossible to stick to a diet
This period is the most difficult for a person with bulimia. Numerous breakdowns, sworn promises to go on a diet, attempts to deceive the body by inducing vomiting, remorse for what they had done and a complete feeling of helplessness. This is precisely the range of emotions that a patient with bulimia feels, and telling him about proper nutrition, using radical methods with a locked refrigerator, or criticizing his appearance only means worsening the situation.
Diagnostic methods
When it comes to neurotic disorders, diagnosing the disease has certain difficulties. Many practical techniques used to objectively assess the patient’s condition cannot be applied due to the fact that the clinical picture is weakly expressed. In order to establish an accurate diagnosis, a differential technique is used, which is based on the method of excluding diseases that have similar symptoms. These diseases include various disorders of the kidneys and digestive system.
In addition, to confirm the diagnosis, it is necessary to undergo an electrocardiography procedure, fibrogastroduodenoscopy of the duodenum and stomach, and also do a detailed blood test. Only after undergoing a thorough examination does a psychologist begin working with the patient. To confirm the diagnosis, special tests and survey methods are used to identify neurotic disorders. In a situation with bulimia, a special questionnaire about the process of eating is used. This technique was developed by Canadian specialists. It is important to note that to confirm the diagnosis of bulimic neurosis, it is necessary to prove the presence of bulimic attacks at least twice within seven days, over several months.
Treatment methods
Since the causes of the development of bulimic neurosis are associated with malfunctions of the nervous system and mental disorders, the treatment of the disease should be carried out by specialists in the field of psychotherapy. Complex treatment of the disease involves the involvement of a neurologist and therapist in the process. In cases where there is a serious danger to the patient’s life, therapy for bulimia is carried out only in a hospital setting. Timely detection of symptoms of pathology at an early stage of development allows for outpatient therapy.
It is important to pay attention to the fact that if you have this disease, you are prohibited from using potent medications on your own. Uncontrolled use of many medications can significantly worsen the situation, since a weakened body exhibits increased sensitivity to the effects of drugs. That is why the treatment strategy and the list of medications used should be considered by a specialist on an individual basis.
Overeating and lack of satiety are the main characteristics of bulimia.
Many psychotherapists recommend that their patients visit a nutritionist. A specialist from this field will help not only to correctly compose a daily diet, but also to educate the patient about the processes occurring in the gastrointestinal tract. Also, thanks to this, the doctor can learn about the rules of safe food intake in the presence of the pathology in question. Based on the individual characteristics of the patient’s body, the doctor will be able to create a competent diet based on the required ratio of proteins, carbohydrates and fats in the diet.
The emphasis in drug treatment of bulimia is on drugs that have a calming effect on the nervous system. This category of medications includes appetite suppressants, sedatives, and antidepressants. Cognitive behavioral therapy plays an important role in complex treatment. This method is based on establishing the correct motivation associated with the process of eating.
In order to determine the strategy for this treatment method, it is very important to detect internal conflicts that provoke the appearance of the disease . It is possible to understand the nature of the disease by keeping daily records, in which the patient must describe all the emotions overwhelming him that arose before the feeling of hunger. It is also very important to indicate the situations in which hunger worsened, as well as the amount of food that was consumed to eliminate the attack.
It is very important to take full control of the nutrition process, for which monitoring the frequency of food intake is used. It should also be mentioned that the basis of psychotherapeutic treatment includes methods such as music therapy and color therapy. Music treatment involves daily listening to audio files that have a positive effect on the body. The sounds of living nature and classical music allow you to relax and forget about existing problems. Color therapy is based on the exclusion of brightly colored items from the patient’s wardrobe and interior. Many bright colors have a stimulating effect on the nervous system, which negatively affects the state of the psyche.
Bulimic neurosis syndrome is a mental illness caused by a disorder of the functioning of the central nervous system.
It is important to understand that therapy for neurotic disorders requires a long time and perseverance. Only the desire to get rid of the problem helps patients overcome the feeling of hunger. It is very important to promptly identify the presence of a problem, since at a certain stage of development, destructive processes become irreversible. Since the cause of the development of the disease “grows” from childhood, it is very important to approach the education process correctly. Only harmonious and trusting relationships between parents and children can reduce susceptibility to various mental disorders.
Forecast and prevention of the disease
Bulimia nervosa can be cured. The success of therapy depends on the patient's behavior. If a person refuses treatment or does not take prescribed medications, the pathology cannot be eliminated. In this case, there is a high probability of death from liver or kidney failure. The disease may recur. When the first signs appear, you should consult a doctor to avoid harm to the body.
To prevent the onset of the disease, you should get rid of existing mental disorders. It is recommended to work with self-esteem. You should find something that interests you, a hobby, communicate with people in order to have other interests besides your figure, self-confidence. Relatives should support the person, not criticize the figure, concentrate on the merits, so as not to create excessive importance of appearance and weight.
