Don't Let Bulimia Overtake You
Abnormal Psychology PSY 311 Sarah Long 12/14/2015
Bulimia is a serious condition
Bulimia nervosa, commonly called bulimia, is a serious, potentially life-threatening eating disorder. (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2015) What to look for: Someone eating a very large amount of food, then trying to get rid of it by vomiting or excessive exercise. There is no exact cause for bulimia. There are many factors that can start someone to become bulimic such as, emotional health, societal expectations and even family.
There are People out There Ready to Help You!
Psychotherapist use a technique called talk therapy, which involves opening up and talking about the issue and figuring out why this started. There are medications such as antidepressants that may reduce the symptoms of bulimia. "The only antidepressant specifically approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat bulimia is Fluoxetine (Prozac), a type of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), which may help even if you're not depressed. (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2015) You can recover from Bulimia, specially if you get the help you need and figure out what triggered it.
Important Facts
Some people say that eating disorders are not an illness but they are. Eating disorders are a complex medical/psychiatric illness. "They are classified as a mental illness in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, and are considered to often have a biologic basis, and co-occur with other mental illness such as major depression, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder."(Russell, 2006) Some may also say that Bulimia is uncommon but that is not true either bulimia effects more people than you think.
Requirements
For someone to become a Psychotherapist, "every state requires a graduate degree, typically a doctorate, in clinical psychology, counseling or clinical social work, preferably with an emphasis on psychotherapy." ( Study, 2015)
References
Russell, M. (2006) Myths About Eating Disorders. EzineArticles. www.ezinearticles.com/myths-about-eating-disorders
www.study.com/psychotherapist_education. (2015)
Mayo Clinic Family Health Book (2015). Bulimia Nervosa. 4th Edition. Retrieved From: www.mayoclinic.com