Food is essential to survive. When it is affected by some kind of psychological disorder, the body suffers. Today we will see two of these problems, we refer to Bulimia and Anorexia. It is important not to confuse the two problems despite their similarities.
It is a disease that mainly affects adolescents, although statistics show that more and more girls are suffering from it.
People who suffer from anorexia have an obsession with being thin and are terrified of gaining weight. As a result of the above, they don’t eat much, they even starve (literally).
Anorexic people try not to eat high-calorie foods, and some accompany these extreme diets with strenuous exercise. Her goal is to become extremely skinny even well below what is recommended for her height.
Due to this type of attitude, health problems appear, as the problem has progressed they can become serious and even fatal.
Women with advanced anorexic processes stop menstruating, their skin dries up and their hair begins to fall out, although hair may continue to grow on other parts of their body.
Other complications also include poor concentration, difficulty sleeping, depression, constipation, chills, predisposition to get sick more often, weak bones and muscle weakness. If left untreated, the symptoms of anorexia can worsen to the point of death.
A person with an eating disorder can receive effective help if the problem is discovered early. It is important that this type of behavior is detected at home, such as the rejection of food and excessive exercise. After recognizing the problem, medical and psychological intervention is necessary.
treatment for anorexia
For most patients with anorexia, weight loss is usually not so severe and they do not require permanent hospital intervention. However, for treatment to be successful, the person must want to change and accept that they need help from family, friends, and professionals.
Depending on the treatment that is started, the first thing will be to make the person understand that their weight is acceptable. Next, a diet will be applied to help you recover your weight without going into excesses that can damage your body.
What is bulimia?
Bulimia causes people to be terrified of gaining weight, they can usually stay at a normal low weight. In several cases they eat large amounts of food but then get rid of it by vomiting or taking a laxative.
Bulimia is more difficult to detect than anorexia, this is because patients manage to maintain their weight. The problem is continuous vomiting and uncontrolled use of laxatives.
The recurrent use of the above methods causes muscle weakness, swelling in the fingers and face, stomach pains, long-term constipation and dental caries.
Bulimia Treatment
In this case, the first priority is to establish a plan to stabilize the consumption of the three meal times. A diary of eating habits should be created, learning about healthy eating and reasonable weight control can be helpful in most cases.
Why do people suffer from Bulimia and Anorexia?
There are several studies that reveal the possible causes, but there is still no common derivative. Adolescence seems to be the age range in which most people suffer from both disorders.
It seems that this is where hormonal changes, the need for acceptance and difficult family events can cause both problems to start.
Another of the causes that have been detected the most have been stereotypes. We live in a world that “loves thin people”, this perception is inculcated everywhere, but mainly in the media, cinema, fashion, among others.
Differences between anorexia and bulimia
- A person with anorexia will avoid eating for fear of gaining weight, but a bulimic will eat “binge” and then expel it by vomiting or using laxatives.
- Anorexia is often accompanied by psychosis, which is why a distorted image of oneself can be formed; In the case of bulimia, the person is afraid of gaining weight, but tends to keep their weight.
- Anorexia is usually more severe than bulimia.
- Anorexia most often occurs in adolescence, while bulimia can appear in people in their 20s.
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