Some researchers believe the disorder may develop through excessive parental pressure and standards. Bulimics tend to be perfectionists with high standards and poor self-esteem. It has been found that some bulimics display brain chemistry characteristics of certain forms of depression.
Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating of high calorie foods, often followed by purging with a laxative or self-induced vomiting. Binge eating is usually followed by depressive moods and self-deprecating thoughts. Bulimia may be associated with another eating disorder, anorexia nervosa, in which individuals attempt to severely restrict their food intake in order to lower their weight to dangerously low levels. The binging and purging of bulimia is, as in anorexia nervosa, a way to fulfill their occasional urge to eat and still maintain their weight. Bulimia, which is rarely seen in males, usually begins in late adolescence and is often associated with an attempt to lose weight. At first, bulimics learn that binging/purging is a useful method of maintaining weight. At some point, however, they lose control of the ability to stop binging.
Question: Can bulimia be detected in its early stages?
Usually not. The bulimic typically hides the overeating and purging pattern, sometimes for years.
Question: How is bulimia treated?
Bulimia is usually treated on an outpatient basis, often combining individual and family therapy. Some bulimics respond to antidepressant drug therapy. In recent years, support groups have formed to help bulimics and their families understand and cope with the disorder.
Hospitalization - Admission Procedures
The procedures you follow on admission to a hospital vary from one hospital to another, but basically the process is the same in most institutions in the United States.
Care of the Dying - Role of Friends
The friend can show appreciation of the work being done by the family and offer to stay with the patient if the family needs a little time away from home.
Care of the Dying - Death of an Older Child or an Adolescent
From the age of three years onward, a child begins to understand the concept of death and dying. The dying child feels protective toward his or her parents. Although the child desperately needs to talk about what is going to happen, he or she may never get close to the subject. The child may attach himself or herself to a nurse or physician while still relying on the parents. By doing this, the child is sharing the emotional responsibility. The parents may find this difficult to accept, but must realize that someone else can perhaps give more help by listening dispassionately to the child's fears and anxieties.
