An estimated ten of every 100 teenage girls struggles with either anorexia or bulimia. Despite widespread efforts by medical professionals, educators, and parents, this figure hasn’t changed much in the last several years.

In an article on theadvertiser.com, author Doreen Nagle discussed how learning to spot signs of an eating disorder can ensure that a teen gets much-needed help:

• Anorexia nervosa: A teen who is a perfectionist and super high achiever in school or other activities.
• With that said, [the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry] says that this teen likely has low self-esteem and irrationally believes herself to be overweight when she is clearly too thin.
• Seeking control over her life, anorexic teens find it in being able to say "No" to food. This lack of nutrition often leads to serious health disorders.
• In bulimia, the sufferer binges on foods (often high-calorie foods) and then purges by forcing herself to vomit or by using laxatives.
• Often, the bulimic will indulge in odd diets resulting in weight fluctuations.
• Self-induced purging is a serious concern since it robs the body of necessary nutrition, can damage organs and cause dehydration.

Labels: bulimia, signs_of_eating_disorders, anorexia

Posted By: Eating Disorders Help Guide 0 Comments

Which eating disorder is worse, anorexia or bulimia? A woman identified as "Juliet from Elkhart, Indiana" sent this question to Dr. Robert Wallace, who writes a medical information column on the website of the Post-Tribune newspaper.

Juliet wrote that her cousin is anorexic, and her cousin's sister is bulimic. In his response, which was posted Nov. 8, Dr. Wallace noted that both disorders can be dangerous, but anorexia patients are more likely to die as a result of their condition:

Most experts would agree that with everything equal, those suffering from anorexia are at greatest risk because they always feel "fat" and rarely admit that they have a problem. On the other hand, bulimics are aware that their eating habits are abnormal, but they find it very difficult to stop for fear of becoming overweight. A higher percentage of anorexics die from their eating disorder.

Labels: bulimia, anorexia, advice

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

The University of Chicago and Stanford University are teaming up to conduct the largest treatment study to date on adolescent bulimia, and they are looking for participants.

A post on the Chicago Sun-Times website provided the following details about the research effort:

• The goal of the study is to determine which of three outpatient treatments is most effective for adolescents: family-based treatment, cognitive-behavioral treatment or supportive psychotherapy.
  
• Each site will recruit 79 participants who will receive free treatment using one of the three methods.
• For more information or to participate, contact study coordinator Lisa Brownstone at 773-834-5677 or e-mail bulimia@yoda.bsd.uchicago.edu.

Bulimia is a dangerous, and potentially life-threatening, eating disorder. Bulimics feel compelled to purge themselves of any food they eat by inducing vomiting, abusing laxatives, or exercising excessively.

The disorder has been associated with a variety of damaging effects, including abnormal heart rhythm, tooth decay and loss of menstruation.

Labels: bulimia, research

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Sue Gaskell didn't struggle with an eating disorder until she was an adult -- but it took her 15 years to overcome the builima that she developed after she began leading a weight loss group. Gaskell, who recounts her experiences in a book titled "Eating Your Words," hopes her story will encourage others of all ages to get the help they need.

According to an Aug. 12 article in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty Times, Gaskell's troubles began when she found that the weight loss group that she became involved with began pushing her toward unhealthy nutrition practices.

"Going into an industry where you're being constantly weighed, [weight] becomes an occupation," Gaskell said in the article. "I had hundreds of people coming to see me every week but nobody knew that deep down, this awful thing was happening to me."

Now recovered from her disorder, Gaskell told Times writer Nicola Murphy that she feel compelled to help others avoid the experience that she endured. "Eating Your Words" is slated to be published by The National Library.

Labels: bulimia

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

When Emily Schlehuber first starting purging after meals, she didn't think anything was wrong. She was struggling with low self-esteem, which got worse after she and her boyfriend broke up. She was complimented on her weight loss, and only realized there was a problem when she started vomiting up blood.

In a July 15 article on Coloradan.com, writer Hallie Woods described Schlehuber's journey from disordered eater to pageant winner:

After a year and a half living with the disorder, Schlehuber confided in her father, who helped her seek treatment with a therapist and a nutritionist. She enrolled in a leadership program at Fossell Ridge where she began to realize her self-worth ...

Now 17 and still recovering from the disorder, Schlehuber is reaching out to others who suffer or are at risk of suffering from the same devastating effects of the disease.

In March, Emily was crowned "Miss Teen Colorado" for her work on eating disorder awareness. She not only speaks in junior high health classes but also serves in a consultation role with doctors at a local eating disorder recovery center.

Labels: bulimia, teenagers, overcoming bulimia

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Stephanie Pratt, one of the stars of the reality show "The Hills," has revealed that she has been struggling with the eating disorder bulimia nervosa. Pratt discussed her eating disorder in an interview that appeared in the June 17 edition of US Weekly magazine:

The 5-foot-7 23-year-old reveals she began bingeing and purging after watching a scene she shot with Lauren Conrad in 2007 after first joining the cast: "I was horrified. I remember saying, 'I can't believe how huge I look walking over to Lauren.'"

Another time, when filming in Hawaii in bikinis, the size 0-2 Pratt - in a bikini and cover-up -- asked costar Audrina Patridge, "What looks better, shirt on or off?" Patridge said, "On."

Says Pratt, "The producers never put pressure on us to lose weight," but adds, "It's embarrassing working with skinny girls."

Though the cover of US Magazine features a photo of Pratt alongside the headline "The Hills Made Me Bulimic," she told MTV News that she didn't blame the show for her disorder.

"'The Hills' did not make me bulimic," Pratt said in a June 17 interview with MTV's Jocelyn Vena. "It was my own issues with self-esteem, and if anything, my life on 'The Hills' has only helped me get healthy, 'cause I know how lucky I am to have this job and to have the chance to be a role model."

Labels: bulimia, celebrities

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Though bulimia nervosa affects countless adolescents, most studies on effective treatment have focused on adults. James Lock, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University, said that's why his team's research will focus on young people:

"The team will study three treatments that may help adolescent bulimics. Study subjects will be randomly assigned to receive 20 outpatient consultations using cognitive behavior therapy, family therapy, or individualized psychotherapy."

The team is currently looking for adolescents with bulimia or bulimic-like behaviors that are willing to participate in a two-year study. Prospective participants must be between the ages of 12 and 18, and their families must be willing to participate as well. Anyone who is interested in participating should contact research assistant Brittany Alvy at the Stanford School of Medicine. Source: Stanford Medical Center Report

Labels: bulimia, treatment, teenagers

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Bulimia nervosa is one of the most common eating disorders. It's characterized by binge-eating followed by purging. Purging can take the form of excessive exercise, the use of laxatives, vomiting or the inappropriate use of other medication.

"The reasons why you binge eat and then purge may not be easy to explain. Part of the problem may be due to a fear of getting fat, but it is often not just as simple as that. All sorts of emotions, feelings, and attitudes may contribute. The physical act of bingeing and purging may be a way of dealing with your emotions in some way."

The risk factors of bulimia are extensive. They include, but are not limited to, severe health issues due to extreme weight loss, tooth decay caused by vomiting, and health issues caused by the misuse of laxatives and other medications.

Labels: bulimia, causes of eating disorders, emotions

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

It sounds so simple: When you are hungry, you eat. When you feel full, you stop. But for the ten million Americans who struggle with eating disorders, it's anything but easy. Take, for example, a young woman who was arrested for stealing from a California grocery story. The suspect had stolen $10 worth of candy bars and other sweets and consumed it all - more than 4,000 calories - in 30 minutes.

"The suspect, Katie, was sobbing, very ashamed, and extremely remorseful. Katie, a student at a local community college, related that she suffered from bulimia nervosa. She had not intended to engage in theft while in the story, but became overwhelmed by anxiety and had an un-ignorable craving to eat... She then was compelled to rid herself of the calories and had induced vomiting in the employee's bathroom."

Though anorexia gets more attention, bulimia is actually more prevalent - affecting one in seven females ages 12-25. The medical consequences of bulimia - a disorder marked by bingeing, then purging, in response to feelings of depression, anxiety or worthlessness - are immense, and anyone who exhibits symptoms of the disorder needs to seek immediate help. Source: Officer.com.

Labels: bulimia, purging, shame

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

A group of psychiatrists from the Institute of Psychiatry in London, U.K. found that teens who suffer from bulimia or unspecified eating disorders respond better to a cognitive-based therapy than family therapy.

"After six months, the researchers found a more significant reduction of bingeing in the guided self-care group than in the family therapy group, but observed no significant group differences after twelve months."

The 85 adolescents were randomly assigned either the cognitive-based self-guided care or the family therapy. Researchers believe the cognitive-based therapy would be used best as part of an early intervention/treatment program. Read more at MentalHelp.net.

Labels: bulimia, treatment, therapy

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Doctors Daniel le Grange, PhD and James Lock, MD, PhD have released a book titled "Treating Bulimia in Adolescents" in which they include parents as a vital part of the recovery process. Often, clinical management of adolescent eating disorders includes separating the teen from his or her parents. Parents are often seen as part of the problem.

"We don't see parents as the culprit,' [Le Grange] added. 'We see them as a valuable resource in the treatment of these adolescents. Our goal is to empower parents to feed their kids. Feeding kids is something they do well."

Called "The Maudsley approach", the treatment program includes parental supervision of an adolescent's every meal. Parents ensure that the right kinds of food are eaten, and stay with the child for while after the meal to make sure the child doesn't purge. Read more at PsychCentral.com.

Labels: bulimia, treatment, teenagers

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Anorexia and bulimia may get all the publicity, but the most common eating disorder in the United States is binge eating.

Binge eating is uncontrolled eating that occurs at least once a week. Afterwards people usually compensate for their binge by dieting, fasting, using laxatives or "exercising it off."

Researchers at Harvard University Medical School and McLean Psychiatric Hospital interviewed 9,000 people all over the United States about their eating habits and mental health. They found that 3.5% of women and 2% of men are binge eaters. Their disorder tends to last more than eight years. It puts them at a higher risk for obesity and diseases like stroke, heart attack, and diabetes.

All three eating disorders are more common among young people ages 18 to 29, and especially among people who were anxious and depressed.

About 1.5% of men and 0.5% of men suffer from bulimia or vomiting to control one's weight. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that can cause people to diet until they are starving to death. The researchers found that it affects less than l% of American women and only 0.3% of men.

This study appears in the February issue of Biological Psychiatry.

Labels: bulimia, anorexia, binge eating

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 1 Comment

In our weight-conscious, “thin is in” society, the super-fit are praised and admired. But some of the people who look the healthiest could actually be the sickest.

“There is such a thing as too much exercise. Up to 11 million Americans annually suffer from eating disorders, according to the National Eating Disorders Association. Of those diagnosed with bulimia, more than 80 percent of them use excessive exercise to control their weight, according to a 1999 study.” [Source: The Oakland Tribune]

Sometimes called “exercise bulimia,” this disorder is marked by an extreme obsession with or dedication to exercise. Symptoms include co-dependency, obsessive compulsive tendencies, anxiety, and extreme weight loss.

 

Labels: bulimia, exercise

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 1 Comment

Some bulimics may be overly sensitive to certain kinds of food, such as sweets or carbohydrates, according to a study from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by "food binges" followed by purging either through vomiting or over-exercising.

• Although bulimia is classified as an eating disorder along with anorexia nervosa, new research using brain imaging techniques shows that the two disorders are very different in terms of the way sufferers respond to food cues.
• For example, bulimics show more brain activity in the nucleus accumens region of the brain when shown certain kinds of food.
• This region has been identified as an area that becomes active in drug addiction.
• One theory is that bulimics may be seeking an addictive kind of "high" from certain kinds of food.

Since about half of bulimics respond to serotonin-boosting medications, bulimia may have something to do with low levels of that brain chemical. Having a low level of serotonin is also linked to depression.

Since bulimics do not feel satisfied by ordinary amounts of food, their condition could also be related to having insensitive vagus nerves. The vagus nerve is involved in feeling satiated and eating normal amounts.
 

Labels: bulimia

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 1 Comment

When a female patient approaches a doctor for help in losing weight, the doctor should check for eating disorders, according to a new study from the University of Western Sydney in Australia.

Professor Phillipa Hay performed long interviews with 57 Australian women who had the eating disorder bulimia nervosa. Only 28% had sought medical treatment for the problem, and of those, 75% admitted they went to the doctor to get help in losing weight.

IIn this particular study," Dr. Hay said, "only a small number of the participants actually disclose their eating disordered behaviors to a health professional. Among the women who did, there were reports that their symptoms were dismissed because they were not emaciated. This is extremely worrisome, as there can be severe health implications for disordered eating even before weight becomes an issue. Regular purging, for example can lead to dehydration and fainting and markedly depleted levels of potassium, which can cause heart attacks from disturbed heart rhythms."

• Dr. Hay's research indicates that between 10% and 50% of people with eating disorders do not find effective treatment.
• She believes that one remedy would be for health professionals to learn how to identify the signs of the eating disorders, and to ask questions about each patient's eating behaviors.
• Her study found that when a patient was asked directly about an eating disorder, over 90% tell their doctors about their problems.

This study was presented at the University of Western Sydney's Mental Well-Being Conference.

Labels: bulimia, doctors

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 1 Comment