Psychosomatics of bulimia
Bulimia, or bulimia nervosa, is an eating disorder and a serious mental health condition. According to the NHS, it can affect anyone, treatment may take time, but you can recover. The main signs are binge eating, where you lose control of how much you eat, and trying to get rid of the food. You are not weak and it is not your fault. Tell a doctor even if you have only some signs. The Ladder method does not treat an eating disorder or replace a doctor.
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When to see a doctor
A general doctor first: they will ask about your eating, how you feel and your symptoms, may order tests and will refer you to a psychiatrist or a therapist who works with eating disorders. Decide beforehand whether you want to know your weight: you can tell the doctor you do not want to know it. You can bring someone you trust to the appointment.
In the Ladder method
In the Ladder method, bulimia is not explained as "you cannot control yourself". You are not to blame and you are not weak: it is a condition that a doctor and a therapist work with. The method treats nothing and does not replace a specialist, and questions to yourself belong only next to treatment, when you feel safe.
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In the method, the food you reach for in hard moments suits the image of a way of coping: what it becomes when shame, loneliness or exhaustion hits. It is an image, not a cause and not a diagnosis.
On the ladder this shows up as the steps "I must look right", "nobody must find out" and "I have no right to help". You can work through them at your own pace while you are on your way to a doctor.
These are questions for reflection, not an explanation of what causes the condition and not a treatment.
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How it shows up
Book a doctor’s appointment if you notice:
- Episodes of eating when you cannot stop
- Being sick or taking laxatives after eating, long spells without food
- Fear of putting on weight and harsh criticism of your body
- Guilt and shame after eating
- Eating in secret, avoiding meals with others
- Tiredness, weakness, a sore throat, irregular periods
What medicine knows
The main signs of bulimia, according to the NHS, are losing control of how much you eat over a very short time (binge eating) and trying to get rid of the food. People do this by making themselves sick, taking laxatives or diuretics, not eating for long periods, or a mix of these.
There are other signs: fear of putting on weight, obsessing about weight and body shape and being very critical of yourself, exercising excessively, mood changes (feeling tense, irritable, anxious or low), thinking about food a lot, guilt and shame, secrecy and avoiding social occasions with food. A person may hide food and eat in secret.
The body gives signs too: tiredness and poor sleep, weakness and dizziness, a sore throat from being sick, bloating and tummy pain, swollen cheeks and glands under the ears, and irregular or stopped periods (NHS).
Treatment is tailored to you. It takes months or years, but you can recover. According to the NHS, the main treatment is talking therapy, with help for depression and anxiety if you need it. The first step is to tell a doctor. Even if you have only some of the signs, help matters, and it gives you the best chance of recovery.
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Frequently asked questions
What is bulimia in simple words?
According to the NHS, it is an eating disorder: you lose control of eating over a short time and then try to get rid of the food by being sick, using laxatives, fasting or exercising. It is a serious mental health condition, not a whim and not weak willpower.
Can you recover from bulimia?
Yes. The NHS writes that treatment takes time, from several months to years, but you can recover. The sooner you tell a doctor, the better the chance. It is worth going even if you have only some of the signs.
Is bulimia psychosomatic?
It is an eating disorder recognised by medicine, and a doctor and a therapist treat it. In the Ladder method you can ask yourself questions about feelings and food, but only next to treatment and not instead of it. It is a question to yourself, not a diagnosis.
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Answers to common questions
Psychosomatics does not replace tests and treatment. Only a doctor can make a diagnosis.