Disordered eating cont.
excessive exercising, or fasting). These must happen weekly for at least three months for it to be diagnosable as bulimia nervosa (201). During binges, the young person may feel out of control of their eating and eat well past the point where they would normally feel full. As a result, young people with bulimia are most often at or near normal weight for their age and height. There is often a delay of many years before young people with bulimia get professional help. Because the young person’s behaviour can be masked by a healthy weight, bulimia can be harder to spot. A young person with bulimia may display sores on their knuckles, swollen salivary glands, tooth decay, throat infections, heart palpitations, or epileptic fits. Bulimia nervosa has better recovery rates and lower mortality than anorexia nervosa. However, like anorexia, bulimia can present a serious threat to health and life (204). These include electrolyte imbalances (chemicals which play a role in most major body functions), irregular heartbeat, heart failure, inflammation/damage to the oesophagus/throat, tooth decay, chronic constipation and other digestive issues, or stomach tears (208). Binge eating disorder Binge eating disorder is different to bulimia in that there is no purging behaviour. Binges are very distressing for a young person, leaving them feeling guilty, ashamed, or disgusted with themselves. Some young people feel disconnected during the binge, not remembering what they have consumed and finding it hard to stop eating. The binges may be triggered by boredom, anger, or excitement. Some are planned and performed almost ritualistically, and some are driven by a sudden urge (209).
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