The Psychology of Bulimia Nervosa
Mason Jordine
Psychology 101 Drexel University
Professor Husain
March 8, 2022
Bulimia nervosa is a potentially life threatening eating disorder Approximately 45 million
women and 1.5 million men have suffered or continue to suffer from bulimia nervosa. This
disorder, unlike other eating disorders, is categorized by binging food in short periods of time,
usually over 3000 calories, and purging the food they just consumed by either inducing
vomiting, excessive exercise, or over use of laxatives to try and counteract the massive calorie
intake This eating disorder can cause a multitude of physical health issues as well as
psychological issues.
The symptoms of bulimia nervosa according to mayoclinic.org include an intense fixation
on body size and weight, an irrational fear of gaining weight, repeated episodes of eating large
amounts of food in one sitting, also known as binge eating, and methods of purging including
fasting or calorie restriction, inducing vomiting, the use of laxatives, and using dietary
supplements for rapid weight loss. Bulimia nervosa not only deteriorates your mental state but it
experience general weakness and fatigue in their body, and if inducing vomiting is the method of
purging it can tear your esophagus and lead to vomiting blood, sores in and around the mouth, as
well as rapid tooth decay and stomach irritation. After binging and purging for extended periods
of time bulimia can even become deadly. According to the American Journal of Psychiatry the
death rate for bulimia nervosa is around 39%.
Although not much is known about the cause of bulimia nervosa there are some links that
doctors have made. A link to gender roles in society can be made as many women feel societal
pressure to be a certain weight in order to fit beauty standards in our culture. If a woman does
not meet these unrealistic standards for women's bodies it can lead to feelings of self loathing.
self esteem issues, and even body dysmorphia in which women perceive their body to be a much
heavier weight than it actually is. There is no definitive link between these two but it is heavily
theorized that this may be one cause of bulimia nervosa. Other mental disorders have also been
commonly associated with bulimia such as depression, anxiety, and body dysmorphic disorder,
that can all be possible factors in a person being diagnosed with bulimia. There is also a possible
genetic link, women who have siblings or parents that have been diagnosed with bulimia are also
at a greater risk of suffering from it, though the evidence is purely circumstantial. Although there
is no certain answer I believe that it is a combination of factors from genetic links, to other
mental illnesses, to the immense pressure society puts on women to have an unrealistic weight,
that causes bulimia nervosa
Though not much is known about the cause of bulimia there are treatment methods.
Multiple types of psychotherapy can be used to help lessen the symptoms of bulimia though it
takes multiple specialists