Being a rather common disorder – approximately 200,000 cases in the United States occur each year (Mayo Clinic, 2017) – it is quite important that the general populace is able to recognize the indicative signs and symptoms of bulimia. There are numerous symptoms that a person with bulimia is likely to experience; these can include but are not limited to being preoccupied with body shape and weight, feeling out of control with their eating behavior, eating until painfully full, eating when not hungry, self-induced vomiting and/ or the misuse of laxatives (Mayo Clinic, 2017). However, not all individuals suffering from this disorder may exhibit all or any of the symptoms previously listed, as the majority of people experiencing bulimia will
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Furthermore, the criteria requires that a person showing bulimic symptoms must fit into three of the following areas; the person must eat more rapidly than normal, they eat until uncontrollably full, they will eat alone due to the feeling of embarrassment and shame that they have for the amount of food that they are eating, the person will eat excess amounts of food when not physically hungry and they will feel guilty, disgusted or ashamed of themselves after the binge. If the person exhibits signs of an eating disorder but does not match up with any three of these criteria they may have another eating disorder. Often people confuse bulimia with other eating disorders such as anorexia or purging disorder. The distinguishing factor between anorexia and bulimia is weight. For a person to be diagnosed with anorexia they must be underweight, whereas a person with bulimia can be underweight, a normal weight or overweight. Another distinguishing factor between these two is how they look at food. A person with bulimia feels as though they have no control of their eating habits while a person with anorexia is starving themselves because they like being in control. This is why there are more people with bulimia who seek help and treatment. People with bulimia feel ashamed of themselves and get to the point where they know that they need help. Whereas people with anorexia are much less likely to voluntarily seek treatment because they do not think there is a problem. Binge eating is similar to bulimia in that the person eats an abnormally large amount in a short time, the difference between these two disorders is what the person does after this binge eating episode. After binge eating a person with bulimia then undergoes a form of purging
Furthermore, the criteria requires that a person showing bulimic symptoms must fit into three of the following areas; the person must eat more rapidly than normal, they eat until uncontrollably full, they will eat alone due to the feeling of embarrassment and shame that they have for the amount of food that they are eating, the person will eat excess amounts of food when not physically hungry and they will feel guilty, disgusted or ashamed of themselves after the binge. If the person exhibits signs of an eating disorder but does not match up with any three of these criteria they may have another eating disorder. Often people confuse bulimia with other eating disorders such as anorexia or purging disorder. The distinguishing factor between anorexia and bulimia is weight. For a person to be diagnosed with anorexia they must be underweight, whereas a person with bulimia can be underweight, a normal weight or overweight. Another distinguishing factor between these two is how they look at food. A person with bulimia feels as though they have no control of their eating habits while a person with anorexia is starving themselves because they like being in control. This is why there are more people with bulimia who seek help and treatment. People with bulimia feel ashamed of themselves and get to the point where they know that they need help. Whereas people with anorexia are much less likely to voluntarily seek treatment because they do not think there is a problem. Binge eating is similar to bulimia in that the person eats an abnormally large amount in a short time, the difference between these two disorders is what the person does after this binge eating episode. After binge eating a person with bulimia then undergoes a form of purging