Bulimia Nervosa

Eating disorders are becoming more and more prevalent in today’s society especially among teenagers. It has been also considered as one of the most persistent illness worldwide. Two of the most common conditions are Anorexia and Bulimia.

What is Bulimia Nervosa? It is an eating disorder marked by an inappropriate behaviour to control or lose weight. Bulimics suffer from a cycle of binging and purging wherein they quickly eat large amount of food and forcefully vomit afterwards. People with Bulimia are often normal in weight, which makes them different from people with Anorexia (Pro Ana-Mia, 2009).

This essay will focus on one of the said conditions, Bulimia Nervosa and its physical and psychological effects such as dental erosion malnutrition, and depression.

Dental Erosion, one of the most marked effects of Bulimia is on one’s teeth and mouth. Stomach acids caused by frequent vomiting affects the teeth’s enamel, leading to dental cavities and gum infections. It also irritates the salivary glands and the esophagus causing them to swell (Bulimia Overview, 2009)

The second effect is malnutrition; bulimics usually eat food with low nutritional value like breads and ice cream resulting to undernourishment (Bulimia Overview, 2009). They usually have dry skin, hair, and nails caused by dehydration. Also, they have mineral and vitamin deficiencies which can lead to kidney problems and heart failure.

Depression, which started on the obsession with thinness, it affects the person’s mental being (Bulimia Overview, 2009). It explains why Bulimics have low self – esteem because it puts on mental and physical stress on the mind and body of the person suffering from it.

Eating disorders affect up to 70 M individuals worldwide (Eating Disorder Statistics, 2009) Most of the people who struggle from Bulimia are treated by doctors and psychologists as early as possible before it becomes harder to change. Monitoring the person’s behaviour and eating patterns offers... [continues]

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