• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Alcohol Addiction
    • Alcohol Addiction
    • Alcohol Detox
    • Alcohol Rehab
    • Alcoholism, Addiction And Recovery
    • Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms
    • Get Help For Alcohol Addiction
    • Alcohol & Alcoholism
    • Stop Drinking Alcohol
    • Alcohol Detox At Home
    • Counselling For Alcohol Addiction
    • Alcohol Drinks Journal
    • Alcohol Units Guide
  • Drug Addiction
    • Drug Addiction
      • Drug Detox
      • Drug Rehab
    • Cocaine Addiction
      • Cocaine Detox
      • Cocaine Rehab
    • Cannabis Addiction
      • Cannabis Detox
      • Cannabis Rehab
    • Heroin Addiction
      • Heroin Detox
      • Heroin Rehab
    • Amphetamine Addiction
    • Crack Addiction
    • Crystal Meth Addiction
    • GHB Addiction
    • Ketamine Addiction
    • Mephedrone Addiction
    • Prescription Drug Addiction
    • Steroid Addiction
  • Helping Others
    • Help For My Addicted Husband
    • Help For My Wife
    • Help For My Son
    • Help For A Loved One
    • Help For My Daughter
    • Help For A Work Colleague
    • Help For A Friend
    • Help For Myself
  • Locations
  • Prescription Drugs
    • Prescription Drug Rehab
    • Prescription Drug Detox
    • Pregabalin Addiction
    • Hydrocodone Addiction
    • Oxycodone Addiction
    • Benzodiazepine Addiction
    • Fentanyl Addiction
    • Valium Addiction
  • Online Rehab
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
Help 4 Addiction Logo

Help 4 Addiction

Drug & Alcohol Rehabilitation

Trustpilot

Call Us: 0203 955 7700

Get Rehab Prices Start Your Consultation
  • Alcohol Addiction
        • Alcohol Addiction
        • Alcohol Detox
        • Alcohol Rehab
        • Alcoholism, Addiction And Recovery
        • Get Help For Alcohol Addiction
        • Alcohol & Alcoholism
        • Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms
        • Stop Drinking Alcohol
        • Alcohol Detox At Home
        • Counselling For Alcohol Addiction
        • Alcohol Drinks Journal
        • Alcohol Units Guide
  • Drug Addiction
        • Drug Addiction
          • Drug Detox
          • Drug Rehab
        • Cocaine Addiction
          • Cocaine Detox
          • Cocaine Rehab
        • Cannabis Addiction
          • Cannabis Detox
          • Cannabis Rehab
        • Heroin Addiction
          • Heroin Detox
          • Heroin Rehab
        • Amphetamine Addiction
        • Crack Addiction
        • Crystal Meth Addiction
        • GHB Addiction
        • Ketamine Addiction
        • Mephedrone Addiction
        • Steroid Addiction
        • Prescription Drug Addiction
  • Helping Others
        • Help For My Addicted Husband
        • Help For My Wife
        • Help For A Friend
        • Help For My Son
        • Help For My Daughter
        • Help For A Work Colleague
        • Help For A Loved One
        • Help For Myself
  • Locations
  • Prescription Drugs
        • Prescription Drug Rehab
        • Prescription Drug Detox
        • Benzodiazepine Addiction
        • Fentanyl Addiction
        • Oxycodone Addiction
        • Hydrocodone Addiction
        • Pregabalin Addiction
        • Valium Addiction
  • Online Rehab
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Bulimia

Last updated on April 28th, 2022 at 03:53 pm

Eating disorders are on the rise, according to statistics from eating disorder charities, GPs, and hospital admissions.  One eating disorder charity says that calls to their helpline were likely to reach 17,000 in the financial year ending March 2018 – up from 7,000 the year before.

Consultation

Eating disorders, often classified as “food addictions”, carry the highest morbidity rate of all psychiatric conditions.  Recent research from the NHS information centre showed that up to 6.4% of adults in the UK displayed signs of an eating disorder (Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Study, 2007).  The research shows that 25% of those showing signs of an eating disorder are male.

Bulimia

The latest version of the DSM (Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), cites the main eating disorders as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder (BED).  It estimates that of all patients with eating disorders, 10% are anorexic, 40% are bulimic and the rest fall into the “Eating Disorder not otherwise specified” category.

Bulimia is perhaps the least understood of all the eating disorders.  It was not widely known in medical circles until the British Psychiatrist, Gerald Russell classified it in 1979.  Bulimia Nervosa is a psychological and severe life-threatening eating disorder characterized by the ingestion of an abnormally large amount of food in a short time period – often referred to as a “binge” – followed by extreme purging, to avoid gaining weight.

Purging can include forced vomiting, excessive use of laxatives or diuretics and prolonged periods of extreme exercise.  The binge/purge cycle may be repeated several times a day leading to physical symptoms such as:

  • Weight Fluctuation
  • Electrolyte imbalances which can result in cardiac arrhythmia, cardiac arrest and sudden death
  • Broken blood vessels within the eyes
  • Enlarged glands in the neck and jawline
  • Oral trauma such as lacerations in the lining of the mouth and throat from severe vomiting
  • Inflammation of the oesophagus
  • Infertility

Given the extreme symptoms, and now the number of both male and female sufferers, little is known about the causes and treatment for bulimia.  The illness itself is shrouded with such a high degree of secrecy and shame, that it is often hard for sufferers to come forward for treatment in the first place.

bulimia effects

 

What causes bulimia?

There is no single cause for bulimia.  Genetic and biological factors are thought to play a part, but most experts believe that childhood trauma or neglect play a large part in the development of bulimia.  Cultural pressures on women and increasingly men, to have the “perfect” body, are also thought to play a part, with certain professions or lifestyles prizing aesthetics more highly.

As with other eating disorders, research suggests that children raised in a family system with criticism, high expectations and a culture of achievement or perfectionism, will be more likely to develop an eating disorder.  Victims of physical or sexual abuse are also highly represented in eating disorder statistics.

More recently, clinicians and psychologists have charted the rise of social media, with its emphasis on digitally altered perfect looks, and sometimes unattainable standards, as being a major factor in the spike in eating disorders.

 

Treating Bulimia

Sadly, treatment for eating disorders in the UK is becoming harder to gain access to.  NHS community out-patient services are rare, and many sufferers have to wait until they are ill enough for a hospital admission before they are treated.

Treating a complex condition such as bulimia nervosa requires expert services, but it is perfectly possible to recover.  The best recovery rates are usually achieved with a mixture of psychotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy and sometimes group support.  In addition, some sufferers may benefit from certain SSRI (“selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors”) antidepressants, which are thought to lessen the urge to binge/purge and to reduce anxiety.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (“CBT”) is a useful therapy for eating disorders.  CBT is based on the principle that emotions, thoughts and behaviours are interconnected.  Therefore by identifying and challenging distorted thought patterns, particularly around food and body image, then new thoughts and behaviours can emerge.

Psychotherapy is particularly useful for bulimia nervosa.  Psychotherapy is sometimes called “talking therapy” and its aim is to help individuals gain a better understanding of what may be underneath maladaptive behaviours, such as binge eating.  Psychotherapy helps individuals understand how some of their thoughts and feelings were formed.  A psychotherapist will usually be interested in a person’s childhood experience of safety, love, relationship and ultimately self-esteem.

Most bulimia sufferers have a distorted sense of self, suffer from feelings of low self-worth, self-hatred and struggle to tolerate and regulate difficult emotions.  A specialist eating disorder psychotherapist will work with a client to improve their poor sense of self, to understand why they think and feel as they do, and to better tolerate difficult feeling states.

Recovery from bulimia can take some time.  An experienced psychotherapist will work with a client in the early phase of their recovery, where the client is attempting to gain some remission from binge eating and purging.  Many eating disorder recovery professionals recommend that eating disorder suffers abstain from sugar and alcohol as they try to stabilize their eating patterns, thus helping to minimize the physiological cravings for sugary or carbohydrate-laden food.

Recovery Consultation

A psychotherapist will help a client begin to notice the difficult feeling states which begin to emerge and help each sufferer understand and better tolerate this, without resorting to binge eating or purging behaviour.  This can be a challenging first phase of recovery.  It is vitally important that suffers find a therapist whom they trust and has to experience in working with eating disorders.

The good news is that many sufferers  with eating disorders do recover and maintain their recovery.  If you or a friend/family member are struggling with bulimia, anorexia or any form of eating, please contact us on 0203 955 7700

Rebecca Sparkes

Author

Nick Conn

Nicholas Conn is a leading industry addiction expert who runs the UK’s largest addiction advisory service and is regularly featured in the national press, radio and TV. He has been clean himself since 2009 and has worked in the Addiction and Rehab Industry for over a decade. Nick is dedicated to helping others recover and get treatment for drug and alcohol abuse. In 2013, he released a book ‘The Thin White’ line that is available on Amazon.

Medically Reviewed By:

Dr Robert Lefever

Dr. Robert Lefever is a world leading addictions specialist. He is the foremost expert for addiction treatment. He has personally been in recovery from all substances since the 12th October 1984.

He created the first rehab in the UK to look at all addiction in 1986. Dr. Robert Lefever wrote with Professor Geoffrey Stephenson the masters degree course in addiction psychology at London South Bank University, this was the first of its kind and one of the most highly regarded courses that a therapist can do today.

Robert is also a TED speaker, author, composer and still remains an addiction treatment counsellor.
Last Medically Reviewed On: 09/04/2021
Due to be Reviewed On: 09/04/2023

Primary Sidebar

  • FREE CALLBACK SERVICE

    We offer a free
    callback service 24/7

    Simply enter your number below
    and our addiction counsellors will call
    you back in a few minutes.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Free Drug and Alcohol Rehab Consultation

Footer

Get Help Now

  • Phone 0203 955 7700 or enter your phone number and get a call back.

    FREE CALL BACK SERVICE 24/7

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

About Help 4 Addiction

Help 4 Addiction’s experienced support team are always on hand to offer you the most personal and cost effective options available for alcohol and drug addiction treatment

0203 955 7700
support@help4addiction.co.uk

Additional Links

  • Private Residential Rehab Clinics
  • Alcohol Addiction
  • Alcohol Rehab & Addiction Treatment
  • Alcohol Withdrawal Symptoms
  • Online Therapy
  • Detox from Home

Get Help Now

  • Phone 0203 955 7700 or enter your phone number and get a call back.

    FREE CALL BACK SERVICE 24/7

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

© 2022 Help 4 Addiction. All Rights Reserved.

  • Privacy
  • Terms & Conditions
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT