Do you think you have the eating disorder bulimia nervosa? Are these eating problems interfering with your life? An estimated 4% of women in America will develop bulimia in their lifetime, and only 6% will receive treatment. If you think you have bulimia or if you are seeking treatment assistance, there are several options you can explore.
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Part 1 of 3: Helping Yourself
Step 1. Find out if you really have bulimia
Personal diagnosis of psychiatric conditions is not recommended. If you think you need help, please consult a medical professional, especially if you have the following criteria:
- Overeating, or eating larger than normal amounts of food.
- Feeling unable to control the tendency to overeat.
- Emptying the stomach and other methods to prevent weight gain, such as vomiting, using laxatives/diuretics to compensate for overeating, fasting, or excessive exercise. People with bulimia do it at least once a week for three months.
- Problems with body shape that make your self-esteem determined disproportionately by appearance (weight, body shape, etc.) than by other factors.
Step 2. Identify your triggers
If you want to raise awareness about this condition, try to find the emotional trigger. Triggers are events and situations that press your emotional buttons and make you want to eat and then empty your stomach. Once you know these triggers, you can avoid them if possible, or at least try to deal with them differently. Some common triggers are:
- Negative perception of your own body. Do you have negative thoughts and emotions about how you look in the mirror?
- Interpersonal stress. Does fighting with your parents, siblings, friends, or partner make you want to take action related to bulimia?
- More general negative moods. Anxiety, sadness, frustration, and other emotions can trigger the urge to overeat and then empty the stomach.
Step 3. Gather information about eating intuitively
Traditional diet programs are usually not effective for people with eating disorders and can actually make symptoms worse. However, eating intuitively can help you reorganize your relationship with food. Intuitive eating is a learning method of listening and respecting the body developed by nutritionist Evelyn Tribole and nutritional therapist Elyse Resch. This method can help in the following ways:
- Develop introceptive awareness. Introception is the ability to understand what's going on inside your body. This ability is a must-have to gain a healthier knowledge of what the body wants and needs. Lack of introception has been shown to correlate with eating disorders.
- Gain self control. Eating is intuitively associated with a decreased tendency to hold back, lose control, and overeat.
- Feel better overall. Eating intuitively is also associated with general improvement in health, reduced concentration on body shape issues, higher self-esteem, and so on.
Step 4. Have a journal
Writing in a journal specifically related to bulimia will help you control what to eat and when, what triggers eating disorder symptoms, and can also serve as a means of releasing feelings.
Step 5. Buy enough food
Don't stockpile food, so you won't have the chance to overeat. Plan shopping ahead of time and carry as little money as possible. If someone else is in charge of shopping for you, such as a parent, ask them to consider your needs.
Step 6. Plan your meals
Make it a goal to eat three or four heavy meals and two light meals. Schedule it at a specific time each day so you know when to eat and can limit yourself to just those set times. Make this pattern a routine to make sure you're one step ahead of the impulsive behavior.
Part 2 of 3: Asking Professionals and Peers for Help
Step 1. Go to therapy
Therapeutic interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy have been shown to aid recovery with lasting effects. Look for a therapist who specializes in this model of therapy. You can also find a therapist who specializes in eating disorders.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy aims to restructure your thoughts and behavior so that the destructive tendencies rooted in all these aspects will be replaced by healthier ways of thinking and behaving. If you eat a lot and then vomit because of deep-rooted beliefs about yourself, as do many other people, this therapy can help reset those thoughts and expectations from the ground up.
- Interpersonal therapy focuses on the structure of relationships and personality, rather than more defined patterns of thought and behavior, so it may be more effective if you want instruction that is less focused on behavior or restructuring of the mind, and want to focus more on relationships with family, friends and family. friends, and even yourself.
- Therapeutic alliances are one of the most important factors in the effectiveness of therapy, so make sure you find a therapist you can work with. You may have to browse through many options until you find a therapist you are comfortable with, but whether you can recover or relapse is also up to the therapist, so don't just stick to one person.
Step 2. Explore treatment options
In addition to therapy, psychiatric medication can help in the treatment of bulimia. The main class of drugs recommended for eating disorders are antidepressants, specifically SSRIs such as fluoxetine (Prozac).
- Ask your doctor or psychiatrist about the choice of antidepressant medication for bulimia.
- For treating mental conditions, medication is most effective when combined with therapy rather than as a single option.
Step 3. Join a support group
While there isn't much research data on the effectiveness of joining a support group for treating eating disorders, some people report that groups like Overeaters Anonymous are helpful as a secondary treatment option.
Search the internet for support groups in your area if there are any
Step 4. Consider rehabilitation treatment
For serious cases of bulimia, consider rehabilitation treatment at a mental health facility. Rehabilitation provides access to medical and psychiatric care at a higher level than independent methods, outpatient therapy, or support groups. You may need rehabilitation treatment if:
- Declining health or life in danger due to bulimia.
- You've tried other treatment methods and have come back.
- You have additional health complications such as diabetes.
Step 5. Look for a recovery website
Many people use internet forums to find support during eating disorder recovery. These sites are an important source of interpersonal support, enabling sufferers to discuss the specific difficulties of living with an eating disorder with people who have the same problem. Female Daily has a forum on eating disorders, and below are some of the more popular American websites. thorough:
- Forum Bulimiahelp.org.
- Psychcentral.com Eating Disorder Forum.
- Forum National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders.
Part 3 of 3: Asking Family and Friends for help
Step 1. Give understanding to the people who support you
Research shows that family support plays a big role in the recovery process. For the best possible recovery, educate family and close friends about your condition. This will create a social environment that can start the recovery process. For example, you can use websites like Brown University's health education center and Caltech guides to help a friend with an eating disorder..
Step 2. Invite friends and family to attend the educational program
Ask your local university, hospital, or mental health clinic for information on bulimia-specific educational programs. This program will help those close to you know how to help you during the recovery process. They will learn healthy communication techniques as well as general information about bulimia nervosa.
Step 3. Clearly state what you need
Friends and family may want to support you, but they don't have a clear idea of how. Let them help out by explaining what you need from them. If you have a particular problem with your diet or if you feel like your eating habits are being judged, raise the issue.
- Several studies have linked bulimia to a parenting style that is dismissive, ambivalent, or overly involved. If your parents exhibit this parenting style, talk about how you feel you're not receiving the attention you deserve or if you're getting too much attention. If your dad is always watching you when you eat, say that you appreciate his concern, but that being too involved can only make you feel more negative about your behavior and yourself.
- Research also shows that in many families where one member suffers from bulimia, communication is sometimes underestimated or ignored. If you feel like you're not being heard, be firm but non-judgmental. Tell your parents that you have to talk about something important and that you are worried that your words will not be heard. This will lead them to pay attention to you and help them understand why you are feeling this way.
Step 4. Plan mealtimes with the family
Research shows that people who eat three meals a day per week with their family are much less likely to develop eating disorders.
Step 5. Discuss family-based care
Family-based care is an evidence-based model of care that involves family members in the therapeutic process. Research shows that this treatment is effective for use in adolescents, potentially greater than individual therapy.
