What are the early warning signs and symptoms of bulimia nervosa?
Anorexia and bulimia are actually two expressions of the same illness. The greatest difference is that an anorexic person is underweight while the majority of bulimic persons are normal weight. Approximately 20% of patients with anorexia also have bulimic problems; they binge-eat and then regurgitate. Individuals with bulimia do not manage to starve like those with anorexia and therefore they feel like “failed anorexics”.
Early warning signs of bulimia:
- Increased physical activity/self induced vomiting
- Irregular meal times (often skips breakfast)
- Eating healthy foods in social gatherings but large amounts of unhealthy food when the individual is alone
- Large amounts of food ‘disappear’ in their home
- Mood swings
- Fixation on food and body weight
- Constantly dieting
- Increased physical activity/self induced vomiting
Symptoms of bulimia nervosa: