Many people feel immense pressure to maintain a specific physical appearance. This pressure can become so overpowering that it distorts the way a person physically sees themselves, potentially leading to an eating disorder like bulimia nervosa. This can be a dangerous condition, but one that we can treat at Right Path Counseling.
Our team of experienced psychotherapists for bulimia on Long Island offer proactive and evidence-based bulimia treatments. We work with teens experiencing bulimia, as well as younger children and adults, to provide personalized treatment solutions dedicated to your recovery. Call our team to get matched with an eating disorder therapist at Right Path today.
Like other eating disorders, such as anorexia, Bulimia Nervosa causes an interruption in healthy eating patterns. Often, the goal is to limit calories in order to lose weight. With bulimia, calorie control is done through purging.
A person with bulimia may eat normal amounts or may experience binge episodes where they eat to the point of being overfull. After eating, they will then induce vomiting or use laxatives to avoid the caloric impact of the food. In some cases, bulimia can also occur alongside anorexia where a person will both severely limit their food intake and purge any food that they do eat.
As a parent of a child or teen with bulimia, you will likely have many questions about what caused this condition and what it means for your child. The most important step is to make sure your child gets the help they need if you suspect they have bulimia as this eating disorder can have long term health effects since those with bulimia are not getting enough nutrients to sustain their body. Indications that you or someone you know is living with bulimia can include:
- Unusual weight loss and fluctuations.
- Preoccupation with weight and body image.
- Avoidance of eating in public.
- Obsession over food, dieting, and calories.
- Heading immediately to the bathroom after eating.
- Over exercising.
- Damage to teeth and gums from frequent vomiting.
- Increasing physical health problems.
Although bulimia has a severe impact on physical health, it is a mental health disorder because it impacts the way that the person sees themselves. The focus on body image and food intake becomes an obsession.
For this reason, our Long Island therapists for bulimia at Right Path Counseling are specially equipped to work with children, teens, and adults who have bulimia. We create a treatment plan that provides strategies for dealing with the compulsion to binge and purge, building healthier body image and eating habits, and working towards recovery that minimizes the chance of relapse. We also focus on stress, anxiety, and depression since they can often cause or exacerbate bulimia.
