Why do people become bulimic?
'Why do people become bulimic' isn't the easiest of questions to answer. Bulimia is a very complex emotional issue and there are many factors that contribute towards somebody developing bulimia...
Some of my bulimia causes were:
- Being involved in a sport where you needed to look good and be slim
- Being bullied by when I was a little girl at junior school
and the most significant reason:
- Immigrating to a new country when I was 15. This caused me to become very depressed and lonely... I also lost a lot of self esteem.
What are some of the causes of bulimia?
- Bulimia can run in families. This could be because of a genetic link, or it could be because family members live in the same environment... ie: An environment where a lot of emphasis is placed on dieting or being thin.
- If you have been sexually abused, you chances of developing bulimia as a 'coping mechanism' are increased.
- Pressure put on us by the media to be thin.
- Dieting, especially crash-diets, have the potential to spin out of control... Resulting in binge eating and purging. This is especially true for people who begin dieting at a young age.
- Pressure put on you by your sport or job to be thin and attractive.
- Many bulimics develop their disorder after significant changes occur in their lives. Major life changes can leave us feeling vulnerable and afraid.
What is the key factor that is related to all the bulimia causes Above?
When asking the question 'why do people become bulimic?' I think you need to look at all the causes of bulimia (above) and see what they have in common.
Can you think what the common link is between all the bulimia causes above? Take a shot...
If you guessed poor self Image, low self esteem and a sense of worthlessness... You'd be right!
At some level, all bulimics don't feel quite good enough.
In my case, I did well at school, achieved top in sports and was a talented artist. I was thin and quite pretty... But somehow, I was never enough.
This poor self image found its way into my life and manifested itself as bulimia.
So, if you ask me the question 'Why do people become bulimic?'... I'd say that more often than not, a deep-rooted, poor self image plays a big part.
How Does Low Self Esteem result in Bulimia?
Bulimics feel overwhelmed in coping with their emotions and feelings of inadequacy.
Bulimics will often binge and purge to avoid dealing with feelings of anger, sadness, anxiety, depression or stress.
Food becomes your way of dealing with your emotions. In time, this coping mechanism gets wired into your brain and it gets harder and harder to stop.
However...
No matter how long you've had bulimia for - You can recover.
I had bulimia for nearly a decade. There was a time when I thought bulimia would own my life and take my life... But, I recovered and you can too.
I managed to cure myself from bulimia. It was a difficult but beautiful journey.
If you or somebody you love suffers from bulimia... Start the steps to recovery now - life is so beautiful beyond the dark walls of bulimia!
I hope this article answered your question 'why do people become bulimic?' For more information, feel free to read my causes of bulimia article.
Article by Shaye Boddington
Author of your-bulimia-recovery.com
and creator of The Bulimia Recovery Program and Community
