People with bulimia often feel like they are keeping a secret. No one knows how terrified they are about how they look and how fat they feel. No one knows they are so afraid of gaining weight that after eating they will quietly go the bathroom and throw up their food. No one knows how hungry get and how they sneak out at night to binge eat, only to purge soon afterwards.
Without treatment, about 10 percent of people with bulimia will die from dehydration. Malnourishment and constant vomiting wrecks havoc on the body and can cause serious, lasting complications.
Many people with bulimia will not admit that they have an eating disorder, but this understanding is crucial to their bulimia recovery. People with bulimia are not alone. Up to four percent of the population may be suffering from bulimia. Thats four in one hundred people. Thats another person at school or work who is bulimic too. Most cases of bulimia start when people are in their late teens, and, though every case is different, bulimics share many symptoms.
Support groups have become a crucial step in bulimia recovery. Local support groups can be found online, in the phonebook, or through a mental health professional, such as a school counselor or psychiatrist.
Support groups online provide the comfort of anonymity. Many women and men post their feelings and fears. Others with bulimia, or those who have recovered from it, post encouragement, sympathy, and advice on how to recover from bulimia.
People with bulimia should also consider looking in a library or bookstore to find stories of other peoples recovery from bulimia. Knowing that other people recovered from bulimia may give hope to someone attempting his or her own recovery.
Finally, any bulimia recovery requires the help of a psychiatrist who can recognize why a person is bulimic and how they can break their binge-and-purge cycle. Bulimia recovery is possible, with work and support.
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