Bulimia (cont.)
What causes bulimia?
As with anorexia, there is currently no definite known cause of bulimia.
Because of the complexity of the disorder, researchers within the medical and
psychological fields continue to explore its dynamics.
Bulimia is generally felt
to begin with a dissatisfaction of the person's body. The individual may
actually be underweight, but when the person looks in a mirror they see a distorted
image and feel heavier than they really are. At first, this distorted body image
leads to dieting. As the body image in the mirror continues to be seen as larger
than it actually is, the dieting escalates and can lead to bulimic practices.
In
certain neurological or
medical conditions, there can be disturbed eating behavior, but the essential psychological feature of bulimia, the extreme
concern with body shape and weight, is not present. For example, overeating is a common
feature in depression, however, these individuals do not engage in
inappropriate weight-loss behaviors and are not overly concerned with body image and weight loss as is characteristic of the person with bulimia.
Organic causes for bulimia are being investigated. There
is evidence that bulimia and other eating disorders may be related to
abnormalities in levels of chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) within the
brain, specifically the neurotransmitter
serotonin. Other studies of people with bulimia have found alterations in
metabolic rate, decreased perceptions of satiety, and abnormal neuroendocrine
regulation (the process by which the nervous system interacts with production of
hormones and hormone-like substances).
Next: How is bulimia diagnosed? »
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