Battling with bulimia

What is bulimia?

Bulimia is an eating disorder, which is characterized by binging and purging.

Bingeing is when you eat large amounts of food in a small space of time, often in secret.

Afterwards, you may feel guilty about the binging and this can inspire you to purge. This is usually achieved by deliberately making yourself sick.

What causes bulimia?

There is no definitive reason for what causes an eating disorder like bulimia. It's thought that a variety of reasons may trigger bulimia in a person. For example:

• Having low self-esteem. You may have a particularly low opinion of yourself. Losing weight or constantly trying to control your weight can often be seen as a way of gaining self-worth.
  
• Being depressed. You may use binging as a way of coping with your depression or stress. However, purging doesn't relieve the depression, and the cycle continues.
  
• Emotional stress. Bulimia can sometimes occur following stressful situations or life events. For example, it is possible for you to develop the condition after dealing with a traumatic experience, such as a death or divorce.
  
• Having experienced physical illness or sexual abuse. Bulimia can occur in people who have experienced physical illness or sexual abuse. Some people with bulimia have experienced difficult childhoods, with family problems, arguments, and criticism.
  
• If you have a mental health problem. Research has shown that bulimia is more common in people with some other psychological problem, such as an anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) or post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
  
• Have an unhealthy body image. Bulimia can be caused by cultural and social pressures. Some people believe that the media and fashion creates pressure for people to aspire to low body weights.

Male bulimia

According to research, around 80% of eating disorder cases are girls and young women, aged between 12 and 20.

With this high statistic, it can be easy to forget that boys and men are affected too. In fact, eating disorders can affect anyone of any age and any sex.

One in ten people with bulimia are male. A number of psychologists and eating disorder experts have recently said that they are seeing more men who have the illness.

Lots of people find themselves binging and purging as a way of maintaining control in their lives, when they may feel like they have none.

In the case of John Prescott, the high levels of work stress led him to binge as a way of comforting himself. Afterwards, as he worried about his personal appearance (being a man in the public eye) he purged as a way of controlling his body weight. This cycle can become addictive.

Don't suffer in silence

Anyone who has bulimia can find it hard to admit that they have a problem with food. However, for men it can be especially difficult.

Many men are afraid to admit that they can't control their eating habits as they see it as a sign of weakness. This can stop them from seeking the help they need.

There are many charities and agencies who are there to support and help anyone who is experiencing bulimia.