The Symptoms and Treatments for Anorexia and Bulimia

Although some eating disorders are easy to spot, others are more difficult to detect. A loved one with an eating disorder, such as anorexia and bulimia, may hide all evidence. How do you recognize the symptoms and help your loved one find treatment before it is too late?

If Anorexia and Bulimia are Left Untreated

Eating disorders, if left untreated, are lethal. According to the South Carolina Department of Mental Health, as many as eight million people in the United States have an eating disorder, and one in two hundred women suffer from anorexia nervosa. An even more shocking statistic is that two to three out of one hundred women in the United States will develop bulimia. The mortality rate for eating disorders is higher than any other mental illness.

Why are eating disorders so dangerous? Eating disorders fall under the scope of mental health conditions but affect more than just a person’s psychological and emotional health; it has dire consequences on the physical body. For example, due to the lack of nutrients in a person with anorexia, the body begins to shut down certain functions to keep the sufferer alive.

Eating disorders can cause irreparable damage to the heart, lungs, brain, circulatory system, and kidneys. A loss of heart muscle can lead to a drop in blood pressure and heart failure, a common fatal end to eating disorder sufferers.

Famous cases of eating disorders include singers Karen Carpenter and Taylor Swift and actress Hillary Duff. The good news is that with more people coming forward, it raises awareness in the public eye of the prevalence and dangers of eating disorders.

Anorexia Symptoms and Treatment

One of the most noticeable signs of anorexia nervosa is an underweight appearance. This is a weight that is 15% lower than the ideal body weight. For example, a woman with an ideal body weight of 130 pounds drops to 110 pounds or below without a medical illness. The drop in weight could indicate anorexia, primarily if the sufferer is not showing any physical illness or reasonable explanation for the weight loss.

With anorexia, the sufferer starves themselves or delays eating until there is no alternative. They may over-exercise to maintain a below-average weight and size.

Some common symptoms include:

• Rapid weight loss and extreme thinness
• Dehydration
• Dizziness or fainting
• Low blood pressure and slow heart rate
• Constipation
• Digestion issues due to self-induced vomiting
• Laxative abuse
• Anxiety and depression
• Irregular menstrual cycle
• Brittle nails
• Dry hair and hair loss
• Feeling cold all the time

These symptoms can quickly evolve into life-threatening conditions stemming from anorexia. An anorexia sufferer should receive prompt treatment to keep their health from deteriorating further. Unfortunately, it can be challenging to convince a sufferer that their life is in danger. Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), the skewed perception of the body’s appearance, is also a common mental illness that affects those with eating disorders.

BDD is usually a form of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; however, anorexia sufferers may see themselves as overweight, deformed, or ugly – all signs of BDD. It is exceptionally difficult for preteens and teenagers to disassociate their skewed belief. Negative thoughts play a critical role in eating disorders.

Anorexia is a mental health disorder due to the psychological aspects. However, many sufferers must also stay under the watchful eye of a primary care physician during treatment due to physical ailments. A professional therapist can work with a physician and nutritionist to prepare a managed care plan to help anorexic sufferers recover.

Standard therapies for anorexia:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – CBT is a proven therapy used in various mental health disorders. With CBT, negative thoughts and beliefs are identified and “flipped” to change the outcome of the resulting behaviors.

Talk Therapy (Psychotherapy) – Individual talk therapy sessions are customized to each patient. The patient and the therapist work together to get to the “root” of the eating disorder and create new habits.

Group Therapy – Group Therapy allows the sufferer to share their experience with others in the same situation and glean beneficial strategies in a safe environment for managing their eating disorder.

Family Therapy – Anorexia and bulimia are eating disorders that can be challenging to understand. Family therapy sessions open a door of communication for both the family and the sufferer. Together, they learn to recognize common behaviors, provide support, and help reframe beliefs and habits.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) – DBT is a therapy that frees the eating disorder sufferer from their past mistakes by accepting who they are and making changes to their lifestyle, habits, and behaviors.

Many of the treatments for anorexia are the same for bulimia.

Bulimia Symptoms and Treatment

Unlike anorexia, bulimia in a loved one can go unnoticed. A typical sufferer is at an average weight or is overweight, tends to yo-yo diet, and binge eat in secret. A bulimic might eat well throughout the day, then binge several hundred, if not thousands, of calories in one sitting. The impulse to binge is overwhelming, and binges can last two hours, leaving the sufferer feeling defeated, out of control, and ashamed.

People living with bulimia tend to have low self-esteem due to the guilt they feel after a binge, yet the impulse creates a vicious cycle of dieting and bingeing. Bulimics may also purge after a binge by either vomiting or abusing laxatives.

Common signs of bulimia:

• Focus is on food or fad diets
• Uncomfortable eating in public
• May hide fast food and candy wrappers as evidence
• May leave the table for the restroom during a meal
• Might hide food from other family members
• Binges in secret (for example: in the car or after everyone is in bed)
• May successfully lose weight, then rapidly gain it back plus more
• Battles the same weight loss and gain (example: down three pounds, up three pounds)
• Sleep issues
• Dry skin and hair from lack of nutrients
• Brittle nails
• Evidence of vomiting such as cuts on hands or the scent on the breath
• Issues with teeth due to vomiting
• Digestive issues from laxative abuse
• Mood swings
• Anxiety or depression
• Over exercise or irritability when exercise routine is interrupted
• Menstrual problems
• Self-harming behaviors

Many of the symptoms of bulimia are common in anorexics. Both eating disorders require professional treatment to change the thought processes and behaviors that perpetuate the condition.

Bulimia treatments are the same as treatments for anorexia with CBT, DBT, psychotherapy, group, and family therapy. The goal is to identify the distorted thought patterns that create the behavior and replace them with positive thoughts. By reframing these thoughts, the person with bulimia can develop new habits and behaviors.

The therapist will work with the primary care physician and other specialists, like a nutritionist, to create a recovery plan. Support is available in person, over the phone, and online through a counseling center specializing in eating disorders and other mental health conditions.

Since each treatment plan is customized to the patient, it may or may not include medications. This is a possibility for sufferers with coexisting conditions like anxiety and depression. A psychiatrist can recommend the best medicines for your loved one’s disorder. You can also consult a therapist about alternatives to prescription medication.

Eating disorders can leave a person feeling ashamed, guilty, and unworthy. But it does not have to end on that note. Christian counseling helps people with anorexia and bulimia rebuild their bodies and begin to view themselves how God sees them – as His precious children.

Learning how to lean on God’s word leaves people with more self-confidence as they gain control over impulsive behaviors. It is not easy, but with God, prayer, and treatment, recovery is possible.

If you recognize these symptoms in a loved one or suspect that you might have an eating disorder, please reach out for help today. A certified faith-based mental health professional can walk you through treatment options as well as through the journey of increasing your faith during this challenging season of your life.