Bulimia nervosa has a debut between 12 and 25 years old, even if it peaks between 17 and 18 years. It prevalently affects female people. Most of the research carried out, suggest that bulimia is more frequent today than in the past even if we do not know exactly the reason.
In Italy, as in other western countries, there is a significant increase in bulimia cases that seem to be distributed homogeneously in all social classes.
How do you recognize a person who suffers from bulimia?
Bulimic people are generally normal weight. However, some can be slightly underweight or slightly overweight, very few in large overweight.
To get a diagnosis of bulimia nervosa The following characteristics must be present:
- Recurrent binges where a large amount of food is consumed and you have the feeling of losing control over the act of eating;
- Compensation behaviors (for example vomiting, laxative, diuretic or excessive exercise and fasting);
- The binges and compensation behaviors must occur at least 2 times a week for 3 months;
- Extreme concern for weight and body shapes (their self -esteem depends on these two factors).
What to do to help a bulimic person
Often those suffering from bulimia are binge in solitude and secret for the strong shame. Frequently nobody in the family is aware of the problem, which can be kept hidden even for a long time. In fact, it is very common that a bulimic person confesses his difficulties with food when the mechanism has now been structured. Just because he feels that the control strategies that he tried to implement do not work.
Speak privately with the bulimic person
It is important to keep in mind that those who have a food problem, feel shame for their behavior. This applies in particular for the binges that are perceived in a selfish -style way. It is therefore appropriate to speak with the person in private, trying to be kind and delicate and encourage her to seek help from a professional expert in these problems.
Do not seek explanations but to propose solutions
If we are the parents of a daughter suffering from bulimia nervosaoften seek why. So let’s start asking yourself: “Where’s wrong? It’s all my fault!”. Condoming is useless, indeed it is often counterproductive.
For example, a mother who begins to think that the fault of everything is the bad relationship with her daughter, will tend to give interpretations on the basis of this explanation. For example: “Whenever you binge, it does so to make it pay”. This interpretation generates impotence but also anger that obviously pours into the relationship with one’s child/a.
Avoid criticizing or controlling the person who suffers from bulimia
An attitude of criticism and a high expressed emotionality lead to developing a dysfunctional family atmosphere that can aggravate or maintain the eating disorder.
In the same way it is important not to blame the person who has a food problem: “You have not been able to hold back from eating! You have to engage!”. There Bulimia nervosalike other eating disorders, cannot be tackled with simple willpower. First of all, knowledge of what are the mechanisms that maintain the problem is needed. Starting this, it is possible to face them with adequate tools.
Do not keep food in the house or even put the pantry below, they are strategies that sometimes family members put in place with the aim of helping the person a resist binged. These attempts are not useful, on the contrary, they encourage the person who suffers from bulimia to seek even more in secret of food (e.g. buying large quantities of food in the supermarket).
Accompany the bulimic person to an adequate therapeutic path
The most important help that can be offered to a dear or a bulimic person close to us is to share our concern with her. We can thus encourage her to approach a psychotherapist who can first of all give it an explanation of the mechanism that is trapped it. Then he can offer them strategies to overcome it.
There is a specific form of “enhanced” behavioral cognitive therapy (CBT-E Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-ENEMED) scientifically valid and highly effective. This allows you to deal with the cognitive and behavioral processes of maintenance of psychopathology operating in the patient suffering from eating disorders.
It is a individual therapybut it is flexible and personalized and can also include an involvement of parents or those close to the person who has a food problem. The aim is to encourage a happy family/social environment and explain how you can be useful to help the person to draw more benefit from CBT-E therapy.
