Laxatives, diet pills, water pills, exercise or fasting may also be used. In order to receive a diagnosis of bulimia, bingeing and purging behaviors must occur twice weekly for three months. Medical complications of bulimia include blood chemistry imbalances, trauma to the gastrointestinal tract and dental cavities from prolonged vomiting. Women with bulimia often feel deprived and dependent. The patient may experience emotional hunger as physical hunger.
Control is very important to people with eating disorders.
Binge eating is like bulimia, but does not include purging behaviors. A diagnosis of binge-eating disorder is made when a person binges an average of two days per week over a six month period. Avoid keeping foods around that may trigger bingeing. Avoid fad or very restrictive diets. Keep a food diary and log to assess what prompted the binge.