Bulimia and Depression
According to data from the Eating Recovery Center, as of February 2024, 9% of the population of the United States will have an eating disorder during their lifetime, and that over 10,000 deaths each year are the direct result of an eating disorder. That amounts to one death approximately every 52 minutes.
One prominent eating disorder is bulimia. According to the Center for Discovery, bulimia nervosa is characterized by, “consuming a large amount of food within a short period of time (binging) followed by self-induced ways to rid the body of food and calories that were consumed during the binge (purging).”
Bulimia is notable for the fact that sufferers are usually in a normal weight range to overweight, compared to other eating disorders like anorexia nervosa, where the sufferer is typically underweight.
Psychological characteristics of people with bulimia include:
− A need for control and fear of losing control
− Low impulse control
− Perfectionism
− Avoidant behaviors
− Shyness
− Anxiety and worry
− A tendency toward doubtfulness
− Pessimistic thinking
− Easy mental, and sometimes physical, fatigue onset
For more information on the psychology of eating disorders, check out our articles on the subject at this link and this link.
Depression and bulimia are closely tied together. About 70% of people diagnosed with bulimia are also being diagnosed with depression at the same time, according to data from Eating Disorder Hope. There is little way to tell which one came first as they are typically comorbid with the alignment that sufferers of bulimia typically present with depression, less often the other way around. One exacerbates the other and it is important to treat both together. Suicidal ideation is high among bulimia sufferers, and it has a significant impact on one’s relationships, habits, and inner life.
Many of the treatments available for depression also assist with bulimia recovery, like these:
− Talk therapy
− Group therapy
− Cognitive behavioral therapy
− Antidepressant medication
When seeking help for yourself or when assisting a loved one to seek help, start by talking to your general physician. They are a great resource to get tests like metabolic panels (we also provide
metabolic workups as one of our services here), referrals to specialists, initial diagnoses, counsel, and medication if necessary. If you are in crisis or just want to have the numbers on hand, try any of these
hotlines. To get in contact with us, write to us on our website or call (585) 442-6960.
