Who Is Bulimic?
How old is the typical bulimia sufferer?
Patients with bulimia, usually the onset are somewhere in the 13 and 14 year old range, all the way up to usually around age 32. So we see bulimia nervosa starting just about with the onset of puberty, going into young adulthood, and during the childbearing years. The highest frequency would be somewhere between the ages of 13 and 19; in that age range. But also, the onset can be between those ages, but the symptoms may persist all the way into the college age years, and into the twenties and all the way up to the early thirties.
Who is most at risk for bulimia?
The highest incidence occurs in women, and the risk factors may relate to genetic propensities for depression and for anxiety. Also, for young women that are in a socially competitive environment, an environment that stresses, for instance, appearance, athleticism, and who are subject to possibly other kinds of stresses, such as academic stress. Anxiety type stresses and pure relational stresses may subject them to this kind of problem.
What is the mortality rate for bulimia?
For bulimia, the mortality rate is probably in the one or two percent level. Most of the cases where there has been sudden death or a mortality issue, it has occurred at the time of, for instance, binging and vomiting, where that's been occurring with high frequency, having low potassium, or cardiac pressures on the cardiac functions. it is where the death has occurred as a sudden death during exercise. For instance, during jogging, or during an exercise period. Also, death has occurred when individuals regurgitate and vomit, or use laxatives or water pills, diuretics to such an extent that they leech out their minerals from their bodies, such as potassium, sodium and so on. This can then cause abnormalities in their heartbeat. That's the usual cause of death for bulimia.
Is there a certain cause of bulimia?
Right now, our best understanding is that there are a number of factors that contribute to it. One is genetic. We're looking at the genetic origin. There tends to be a higher frequency of family history. There seems to be an association of bulimia with substance abuse. About 25 percent of young women who are bulimic have either alcohol difficulties or difficulties with stimulant and tend to have a higher history in their family. We're not sure of the exact genetic connection there. Mood and anxiety disorders, either a family history or propensity for depression, obsession, or anxiety would also be another important factor.
Is bulimia a biological or a learned behavior?
Most of us feel that there definitely is some genetic component, in addition to family modeling the behavior. Early development issues related to health and food selection does occur. What children see in terms of family eating patterns and peer eating patterns may also contribute. Therefore, it is both genetic and there can also be a strong developmental component as well.
Why does someone 'choose' to be bulimic?
There are many reasons. The first reason is genetic. There can be a history of overweight or eating disturbance in the family. There can be social and nutritional models in childhood, which were not appropriate, for instance, either overindulgence or restriction of foods and individuals may begin to learn the use of eating as a reduction of anxiety and stress which can be a learned kind of behavior. There's also the theory that individuals that have been mistreated or even sexually abused in childhood may be more prone to eating disorders such as bulimia later in their life, and then experimenting with dieting can sometimes lead to bulimia.
