Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by a sharp paroxysmal increase in appetite, as well as a feeling of excruciating hunger and general weakness of the body. To cope with such a disease is possible only with an integrated approach. Therefore, the help of a psychiatrist and a psychologist is needed.
With bulimia, a person’s whole life seems to be subject to food. All other life spheres fade into the background. Interpersonal relations, career, family ties, and many other issues cease to interest a person, because of which problems also appear in them. It turns out a vicious circle: it seems that a person seems to “jam” all his problems. After another attack of gluttony, he always blames himself and becomes depressed, but he cannot escape from this circle.
If the cause of bulimia is a certain disease of the central nervous system or endocrine system, it is impossible to cope with it without the help of a specialist. And if the cause is psychogenic factors, the help of a psychologist is already invaluable. Such psychogenic causes can be: dislike in childhood, traumatic situation, lack of self-confidence, poor perception of life and lack of sense of humor, loss of meaning in life, low adaptability, disclaimer, etc.
With the help of a psychologist, the patient can recognize the true, underlying causes of such behavior, identify the presence of intrapersonal conflicts and work through them. Only by accepting yourself entirely, you can move on and overcome the addiction to food.
Since the causes of bulimia in each person are different, further work of a psychologist is planned taking into account the personality of the patient. Various trainings or individual work on changing habits, behavior in general, increasing the level of self-regulation and self-control can help in the fight against bulimia. Effective is also work to increase stress tolerance, overcome anxiety, and increase self-esteem. For example, having assessed which situations most often cause stress or great anxiety, one can overcome such situations in more adaptive ways in the future without harming one’s personality and one’s own body.
Visiting support groups, communicating with those who have already dealt with the problem or are also on the way to solving it, help people with bulimia. Most often, such groups are organized with the participation of a doctor and a psychologist, and therefore the recommendations and advice of “experienced” people heard there are always effective.
Together with the psychotherapist, positive psychological attitudes and mental models are developed that are related to the correct attitude to food. In some particularly difficult cases, hypnosis is effective, although psychologists use it very rarely. Still, this is the field of activity of psychotherapists and psychiatrists, i.e. doctors.