Bulimics are usually people that do not feel self-confident about their own self worth. They usually make every effort to get the approval of others, and they tend to do whatever they can to please the people around them while hiding their own feelings. Food becomes their only source of comfort because they think that nobody cares about them. Bulimia also acts as a means for blocking or letting out feelings. Unlike anorexics, bulimics usually do realize they have a problem and are more likely to seek and receive help. Signs and symptoms of bulimia could include binge eating secretive eating (food missing), bathroom visits after eating, vomiting, weight fluctuations (usually with 10-15 lb range), swollen glands, harsh exercise regimes, mood swings, depression, self-deprecating thoughts following eating, tooth decay, irregular heartbeats, and complaints of a sore throat (2). The medical struggles that can arise include fatigue and lack of energy, dizziness, headaches, dehydration, constipation and diarrhea, shortness of breath, irregular heartbeats, depression, hair loss, stomach pain and bloating, kidney and liver damage, low blood pressure, chest pains, cardiac arrest, and death (3).
Other less recognized eating disorders include binge eating disorder and compulsive eating. Binge eating is characterized by a person eating a large quantity of food in a short period of time until the individual is uncomfortably full. Binge eaters are not unlike bulimics, except that there is no attempt to purge any of the food eaten. Instead of ridding their bodies of the food they suffer from extreme feelings of shame and guilt. Warning sings for binge eating are weight gain, low self-esteem, loss of sexual desire, being disgusted with self, and suicidal thoughts. Health problems could include obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, decreased mobility, heart disease, cardiac arrest, and death.
