Bulimia starts during adolescence but because of the embarrassment of the habit it usually goes untreated until a person reaches their thirties or forties. The American Psychiatric Association established criteria for diagnosing a person with bulimia nervosa. People afflicted with bulimia usually struggle with other addictions such as abuse of drugs and alcohol and compulsive stealing. The characteristic impulsive tendencies associated with bulimia can increase the risk of suicidal behavior. Treatment for bulimia, like anorexia, is most successful when diagnosed early.
Treatment differs from anorexia because it focuses on altering the person's eating behaviors.
Once the causes for the binges are surfaced it is important for the patient to learn alternative ways of dealing with those situations such as exercise, work, or calling a support person. Due to the impulsive tendencies of bulimics, it is important for friends and family members to watch the amount of exercise or work performed so that these alternative solutions do not become addictions. For added support, individual or group psychotherapy and consultations with a support group for people with eating disorders can be beneficial. Binge Eating Disorder Binge eating is similar to bulimia nervosa in that it is characterized by episodes of uncontrolled eating or bingeing. The difference between binge eating and bulimia is that binge eaters do not purge or induce vomiting to rid their bodies of the excess foods.