Bulimia Nervosa Disorder

Introduction to Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia, which is also referred to as bulimia nervosa, is a severe type of eating disorder that is marked by regular episodes of binge eating and compensations in the form of purging. The percentage of sufferers that exhibit purging behaviours can comprise forced vomiting, exercise, fasting, or use of laxatives or diuretics. Eating disorders like bulimia are fatal in a manner that cuts across both the physical and mental wellbeing of the patients, hence the need to administer enough attention in offering treatment.

People suffering from bulimia are known to indulge in a cycle of eating large portions of food at a single time and then purging. The disorder is usually marked by an obsession with fear of gaining weight, and people use extreme measures to maintain slim looks. However, most people with bulimia are known to purge, but there are other unhealthy behaviour patterns that are characteristic of such people, such as overeating or starving. Such disorders can greatly affect one’s mental health as well as result in other severe health consequences.

Therefore, bulimia should be addressed early enough so that a correct approach can be undertaken on the patient. However, those who have been diagnosed with bulimia cannot report their problem since this causes them shame or fear to be rejected. These are some of the signs that must be identified and the causes explained so as to assist those with this disorder so that they can get Bulimia Nervosa Treatment.

Causes and Risk Factors

Bulimia nervosa is a polygenic disorder and therefore has a multifactorial aetiology, which implies that the condition is caused by a number of factors, genetic, environmental, and psychological. The exact cause of the onset of bulimia is yet to be determined, but different factors are known to influence the development of the disease. Some of them include vulnerability to inherited tendencies, dysregulation of chemicals in the brain, past experiences of trauma or abuse, and pressures to meet certain physical appearances.

The common symptoms seen in people suffering from bulimia include low self-esteem, body image distortion, and high standards. These psychological vulnerabilities may develop the disorder when exposed to certain environmental stressors, such as trauma or peer pressure. Another important cause of the onset of bulimia is societal pressure, which affects people’s perceptions of their body and looks and prescribes thinness and beauty standards.

Key risk factors for bulimia nervosa include:

• Social isolation
• Internal alterations in emotions or behaviour
• Self-starvation to avoid cooking or eating before other people
• Fear of becoming fat or concern with food
• Impulsive behaviours
• Drugs or alcohol abuse
• Perfectionism
• Weight loss is worse than preventing weight gain.

Diagnosis of Bulimia Nervosa

Identifying this disorder involves both the medical and psychological assessments and testing that help in bulimia nervosa treatment. A healthcare provider is usually likely to start an examination apart from diagnosing the particular illness by conducting a complete body checkup of the individual. Several laboratory tests can be administered to determine whether there are any side effects of the disorder, which may include electrolyte abnormalities and organ dysfunction.

Other tests that need to be carried out include a medical examination and the psychological evaluation in relation to food, body image, and weight. Bulimia can be diagnosed through the DSM-5 criteria, which is usually adopted by mental health professionals in the diagnosis of patients.

According to DSM-5 criteria, bulimia nervosa is characterised by:

• Impulsive episodes of binge eating
• Behaviour of Purging like vomiting, overexercising, or the use of laxatives.
• A low and unhealthy self-esteem that emanates from weight and body shape
• Compensatory behaviour by vomiting or by using laxatives, diuretics, or enemas at least once a week for three consecutive months

Bulimia nervosa is further classified into different levels of severity based on the frequency of bingeing and purging episodes:

• Mild: daily, twice or three times a week.
• Moderate: five to seven episodes every week.
• Severe: This may vary from 8 to 13 episodes per week.
• Extreme: Seven or more episodes per week 14

If a person has been suffering from bulimia for several years, she/he may require more tests to exclude any complications affecting the heart or kidneys in Bulimia Nervosa Treatment.

Steps of the Bulimia Nervosa Treatment Process

Bulimia nervosa is effectively a difficult and ameliorative condition that might take a lot of time to be cured. It encompasses the aspects of medical treatment as well as counselling aspects on the psychological wellbeing of the patient as well as nutritional support. Each person has a different experience of his/her recovery, and there are several phases typically identified that a sufferer traverses in this process of recovery of Bulimia Nervosa Treatment.

Precontemplation State In this stage of Bulimia Nervosa Treatment, the person is not ready to change, and they may still be in denial about their disorder. Some patients have abnormal behaviours of eating that they use to cope with the negative feelings or situations.

Contemplation Stage Now in this stage of Bulimia Nervosa Treatment, people will start to see the reality behind their abnormal eating behaviours, and they might be willing to get help for curing it. Despite this, it is comforting to know that when one is in a position that requires change, it is a major step towards recovery because the fear of change can be paralysing.

Preparation Stage This is the stage of Bulimia Nervosa Treatment where an individual has made up his or her mind to change, but they do not know how to go about it. In this phase, they use learned techniques from doctors to acquire methods of fighting disordered ideas and behaviours.

Action Stage In the action stage of Bulimia Nervosa Treatment, one gets engaged in finding ways to stop the behaviours linked to bulimia and work towards defeating them. This is the stage where a person cancels self-destructing patterns, confronts his/her fears, and makes desired changes.

Maintenance Stage The last phase of Bulimia Nervosa Treatment is the maintenance phase, which is reached in case an individual has been practicing recovery for a number of months. It is still a process of gradually repeating new behaviours to concentrate on sustaining these changes and to learn how to create a meaningful life free of bulimia.

Effective Approaches to Bulimia Nervosa Treatment

Several therapeutic approaches have been developed to help individuals recover from bulimia nervosa.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) One of the best and most effective Bulimia Nervosa Treatment is CBT. This way, it enables an individual to find out and make adjustments for the unhealthy thinking that causes the behaviour towards eating. CBT helps patients to re-attribute thought patterns that concern body image, food, and self-worth. This therapy is delivered out in 20 sessions and has been termed as very effective in the treatment of bulimia.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Originally designed for treating borderline personality disorder, DBT has been based on mindfulness, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness to address such problems as emotional suffering and impulsivity. The emphasis in DBT is for patients who have mood swings and those who have improper methods of handling their emotions.

Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) The goal of IPT is to deal with deteriorated interpersonal relationships and conflicts, which can be potential contributors to the development of bulimia. Although IPT is beneficial for some people, research proves that CBT is more effective than IPT in the treatment of bulimia.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) ACT assists patients in learning how to embrace their emotions without allowing them to ruin their lives. This therapy has people willingly engage themselves, accept their feelings, and agree to work toward a change despite the emotions they may feel.

Family Therapy Family therapy is a process of treatment of the individual with the inclusion of the family members. It enables the family members to have the information they need about this disorder and compare it with the methods to use in order to help the affected individual in this process. The above types of therapy are helpful most with the youth who have been diagnosed with bulimia.

Medically-Assisted Treatment for Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia Nervosa Treatment usually requires medical management due to the physical complications that are associated with the disorder. Intervention aims at remediating binge/purge cycles, managing emergent features, and treating secondary clinical mood disorders, such as depression or anxiety.

Bulimia nervosa treatment medication drugs like antidepressants; they may be prescribed in order to minimise binge and purge impulses. Nevertheless, it remains only a remedy that doesn’t work completely and should be used together with drugs, psychotherapy, and nutritional consultation.

In order to understand the factors causing bulimia, one should go for nutritional counselling, as it will also help in following a proper diet. Meal planning as well as meals themselves are an important part of a structured schedule that is incorporated into the process of rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation Programs for Bulimia Nervosa

The rehabilitation programs for Bulimia Nervosa Treatment are focused on filling all the needed aspects of a patient. These programs offer medical, psychological, and nutritional management together with different therapeutic endeavours. Rehabilitation may involve hospital-based programs that are inpatient or outpatient as per the nature of the disorder.
In the course of admission into a rehab program, one goes through a medical evaluation to determine the right program for him/her. This may comprise CBT, DBT, and many other kinds of therapy, including family therapy. The goal of rehabilitation services is to create conditions for the client that will encourage their ability to overcome bulimia and learn how to use other methods of dealing with emotional states instead of binge eating and purging.

Latest Trends in Bulimia Nervosa Treatment

The current innovation in neuroscience, together with advancements in technology, has brought new methods of treatment options for bulimia nervosa. These include:

• Neuromodulation: Efforts such as DBS and TMS have been explored in eating disorders therapies due to their ability to interfere with specific related eating behavioural loops.
• Virtual Reality (VR) Therapy: Incorporation of VR technology in therapy entails the use of computer-generated real-life experiences in order to boost healthy eating.
• Psychedelic Drugs: Studies on the application of ketamine and psilocybin in particular have indicated that they have the potential of treating issues like depression and anxiety, which are some of the main symptoms of bulimia.

Success Rates and Effectiveness of Bulimia Nervosa Treatment

Bulimia nervosa’s prognosis also differs; however, patients can be successfully cured if they are willing to go through the proper courses of treatment. Outcome in the case of bulimia is usually measured by using a comparison of the diagnostic criteria of DSM IV and obtaining remission so that the quality of the individuals’ lives is increased. However, still a person can relapse, which makes it very crucial to have the strategies of maintenance as well.

Research proves that CBT is among the best therapies to apply to subjects suffering from this disorder, and many of these patients report satisfactory improvement. Beside relapse, long-term intervention and what may be referred to as maintenance can be employed to assist individuals in managing and sustaining recovery and preventing recurrences of bingeing and purging.