Bulimia Nervosa Health Video

Video Transcript

Dr. SUSAN MCGLADERRY: Hi, my name is Dr. Susan McGladerry. I'm the medical director from First MedCenters in Budapest. I would like to give you some general information about eating disorders including bulimia nervosa. Increasingly, we find that children and teenagers develop concerns about their weight that turn into an obsession. This can cause dramatic weight fluctuations. It can interfere with normal daily life and even damage vital body functions. The disorders range from abnormal attitudes and behaviors with food to conditions such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, which are in fact not such rare conditions. For many children, eating disorders begin at a relatively young age between the ages of 11 to 13 years. Although these disorders are more common in girls, boys can also experience eating disorders. Unfortunately many children and teenagers are quite successful in hiding their problem from their families for months or even years. So, what are eating disorders? They involve self-critical negative thoughts and feelings about body weight and food. There is often a large gap between the way that the person sees himself and the way that they actually look. Typically, they feel that they're very fat when in fact their weight is normal or even below normal. They develop eating habits that disrupt normal body functions and daily life activities. Often, people with eating disorders will engage in compulsive exercising. In the case of anorexia nervosa, individuals typically starve themselves to be thin and they lose weight to become 15% or more below the weight that doctors consider ideal for that age. Some anorexics, in addition to restricting their food intake, will also use purging as a method of controlling their weight. This means that they induce vomiting or take laxatives in order to reduce their weight. It's a very serious condition and in the worst cases, death may result from their eating disorder. In the case of bulimia, it's characterized by habitual binge eating followed by purging. Weight fluctuates, but rarely, bulimics have very low weight associated with anorexia. If you are worried that someone you know may have an eating disorder, in other words, they're having rapid weight fluctuations or they have a concern about their weight which interferes with their normal daily activities, it's important to talk to them and to get help. Raising self-esteem and developing healthy attitudes towards nutrition and appearance may help; however, it's very important to remember that an eating disorder is not just a behavior that someone can control. It's a medical condition that requires professional medical attention and treatment.