What if it were all as simple as snuggled up in a cocoon and suddenly waking up as an adult? but we have to go through adolescence, a stage in which our body undergoes many changes and so does our mind.
Social pressure, self-esteem problems and other factors can trigger bulimia in adolescents, usually the most common age for the manifestation of this eating disorder.
- Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by the consumption of large amounts of food for short periods of time.
- Then eliminated by vomiting or laxatives; However.
- Periods of prolonged fasting.
- Intensive physical exercise.
- Or saunas are common for losing bodily fluids.
- Weight gain is the cause of this behavior.
- Which has been accompanied by depressive symptoms.
- Feelings of guilt and loss of control.
- Nine out of ten people with bulimia are women.
Over time, this mental illness can have serious physical consequences, such as stomach bleeding, tooth enamel loss, damage to the esophagus, dizziness, fainting, hair loss, mouth injuries, changes in menstruation, and damage to the heart and kidneys. % of people with bulimia die as a result of the disease.
Psychologically, the results are also quite severe, ranging from anxiety, depression and difficulty building relationships, to substance abuse and suicide attempts.
The importance of detecting bulimia in adolescence is that the sooner the disease is diagnosed and treated, the greater the chances of curing it, if not diagnosed it tends to become a chronic disease: it is estimated that 20% of patients continue to fight the disease. illness after 10 years.
However, it is important to note that a person, to be diagnosed with bulimia, must have developed these habits for at least three months, and it is necessary to be aware of any type of behavior that indicates the presence of this disorder. ‘food. Bulimics tend to hide their condition very well as they are ashamed of their eating habits and, when they are finally diagnosed, it is already part of their lifestyle.
Treatment to combat this condition is often complex. Previously, the custom was to hospitalize the patient until he controlled his eating habits and ended the patterns of bingeing and purging, but the problem has not completely disappeared and the symptoms have returned after a while.
Currently the treatment includes psychotherapy and group therapy, often accompanied by antidepressants such as fluoxetine, the patient perceives reality differently: it has a distorted image of his body and has no idea what the normal and healthy portions of food are, so anxiety control and psychotherapy play an important role.
Some studies claim that people with bulimia have an overproduction of testosterone (the hormone that predominates in the male body but is also present in the female body) and that the use of birth control pills (containing estrogen) helps relieve symptoms. , this theory is still under discussion.
Unfortunately, we cannot ignore the changes we go through during adolescence as we would in the safety of an asshole; However, we can be attentive to the signs of bulimia, to grow with a healthy mind and a healthy body.