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bulemia vs anorexia nervosa

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evedawn | 12:26 Sun 23rd Mar 2008 | Body & Soul
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do anorexics sometimes purge? (ie: force themselves to vomit)? Or is it only bulemics?
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I think that it is more likely they'll vomit to get rid of anything in their stomach rather than deliberately eat a lot and then throw up.

But obviously there are cross over points in both illnesses.
Question Author
thanks chinadoll...
May I ask as to why you ask?
I agree with Chinadoll. However anorexics tend to find other ways of getting rid of food. I.e spitting it out, hiding it and laxies.
I have known quite a few anorexics later cross over to bulimia as they get more desperate to find ways to lose weight.
The vast majority of anorexics start off bulemic and purge before they start starving. It's then a slippery slope downwards.

For more info see:

http://www.b-eat.co.uk/Home
Question Author
thanks y'all. China i asked cos a work colleague's daughter was hospitalised with anorexia, she is out now but my work mate thinks she is now also making herself ill after she eats.
Sorry, didn't wish to appear nosey but you hear stuff about pro-anorexia and I was just checking I wasn't inadvertantly giving tips or something!
Question Author
no worries china...it's good that you're aware of the fact that people with eating disorders look for tips etc...

seeing what my work mates daughter (AND thus the rest of the family) are going through makes me realise how serious anorexia is. It is a sad, sad illness. she could literally starve herself to death :-( she's only sixteen.

PS - i looked at some of the pro anorexia sites and ...PRO ANOREXIA sites should ALL BE BANNED and the folk that maintain the sites should be charged with attempted murder...cos they are assisting in the death sentence of vulnerable people by "glamorising" it.
I feel you're quite wrong actually.
I suffered from anorexia (Pretty much recovered now) and I used anorexia sites for most of that time. When they say 'pro-anorexia' the do not mean it is good. Although there is the odd unusual suspect who seems to 'worship' their illness. Which makes me feel quite sick and sorry for them.
No, Pro-anorexia sites are places for suffering anorexics and bulimics who want to talk about their illness, share stats and talk about their days. They're not prepared to get better just yet. And it's that daily bit of relief when everyone is shouting and screaming at you. Telling you that you're completely wrong, that you're stupid. Forcing food down your throat.
It's an escape from all that.
And yes, not all anorexics recover, some eventually will die from their illness, because they weren't prepared to get better.

The site that used to use (no names mentioned) but they used to speak to and quiz most people that entered the site. To make sure that they were already suffering anorexics, and they weren't wannabes who were trying to lose weight fast.
You can normally tell who is a fake and who isn't by what they say and ask.
If you read some of the stories I have read and things I have done myself, you would see it is not glamrous, and 9 times out of 10 these people are just trying to survive day to day.
Afterall what people need to understand is that none of it is by choice, it's a terrible illness. Which no-one should have to go through.
I hope that your friends daughter sees sense and accepts the help she is recieving.
Question Author
Thanks for you views chocalitchip. AsS I've never suffered from this illness I was horrified at the pro anorexia websites...and still am...but then it is easy for me to be horrified because i can only see this illness from an "outsiders" point of view. as an"outsider" I felt like much of the content did glamorise the prob..but never having "been there" it's impossible to see the other side, like you yourself can.

I feel desperately sorry for my friends daughter, and the rest of her family as it is affecting each and every one of them. It does sound like she (the daughter) is pretty powerless to stop her downward spiral, she has already been hospitalised once and looks like she is heading there again ! It is so hard for someone else to understand cos to most of us out there food is a necessary(and nice) part of life...not an enemy.

Your point of saying that these sites also provide a certain amount of relief for anorexics after hearing that they are stupid / being forced to eat etc is so sad....i guess that it's not only food that become the enemy but those who (try) force you to eat it too?

I am very, very glad that you chocalitchip are "on the road" to recovery and sincerly hope that you make it ALL the way . Well done to you. Where / how did you manage to find that inner strength to fight the illness? What did you find helpful (if i can ask), what did you find a hinderence? What can be done to help people with an eating disorder?

Finally thanks alot for your very input as somone "who has been there"
Hi there evedawn,
I was actually the same as you a few years ago, I thought that it was terrible what they did to themselves. I was hugely more interested in the psychology behind in what made them do it.
I later became obsessed with just anorexics themselves, I started looking at the picture of people, thinking 'god, how thin are they?'

I had always hated the way I looked, but was never prepared to do anything about it- I was bullied from a young age about being fat. Although I was not. I never used to go to school and would avoid eating if I could. But when I was about 11 that faded, and in secondary school I began a 'normal' life.
The bullying continued, and I was very beaten down. I became depressed and suffered from anxiety problems. When I was 15 I could no longer handle the fact I felt I had not control over my life, that I hated myself, the way I looked, the people around me. I wanted to be like them.

And slowly, I began dieting, well just not finishing my meals, skipping breakfast and lunch. Obsessing over calories.
I went down onto 200 kcals a day. Excercising a little, but I couldn't cope for long, as I would collapse in exhaustion.
People began to realise that I was losing weight. I went from a size 10/12 to a size 6 in a short space of time. My boyfriend told my parents, that I was getting so thin.
I later admitted to them what was going on.
They threatened to put food down my throat if I didn't eat, and that they'd listen for me throwing up.
I live with my parents and boyfriend, so it was very hard to lie etc.
I think when I was very ill at college when I was about 17 was very hard. I couldn't cope with the work and i couldn't go in because I was constantly exhausted. I would faint a lot.


I later left college with uncompleted AS levels.
I hated everyone for not understanding and not being caring enough. Even though thinking about it now, they were only trying to do their best.
I remember I used to have panic attacks when I was forced to go into a cafe, especially starbucks and was forced to pick a drink. I used to cry in the queues.
I did pretend to get better for a while. But in fact I'd developed a new way of hiding my food, I'd chew it, then spit it out while no-one was watching, put it in pockets, in napkins etcs.
Although it was short lived and I was caught by my boyfriend spitting a cookie into a plastic bag.
I think that was when I felt I needed help to get out of this path. My boyfriend said he was 'disappointed in me' for lying to him. As he'd threatened to leave me if I ever turned to bulimia. And this is pretty similar.
I went to the doctors and was diagnosed with anorexia I was sent to one-to-one counselling twice a week and to keep an up-to-date diary of what I was eating.
The counsellor gave me confidence that I didn't need the obsessive dieting, and worked more on my self-confidence more than anything. It helped somewhat, but I think you have to want to get better in order to get better. Only myself was a hinderence to my recovery really, when I'd lie about what I was doing, and I'd convince myself I was doing the right thing. Also people who say what was happening was wrong and saying horrible things, especially my parents. They made me want it more.
And when it comes to helping people with anorexia, well that's a very hard question. I think the media and press and celebrities go a long way. They don't do enough to show the youth of today that they can be their own person. And don't have to be a 6ft tall blonde with a 22 inch waist. I also think that bullying must have harsher consequences, I don't think I would have had a problem if I had never been bullied. If I had felt worthy enough, and I still blame them to this date.
But I don't think a lot can be done to help anorexics unless they do want to get better. But lots of counselling, encouragement and doctors help must be available when they want to recover.
At this moment, I eat about a half of every meal put in front of me.
More because my stomach is so small more than anything. And my BMI is about 19 and I'm a healthy size 8.
Although occasionally I have to admit, as I still suffer from depression, when I get really low. I'll write pages and pages of plans, of what I will eat and how many calories, and maybe I'll diet obsessively for a day or two, then I'll recover. It happens about twice a month.
Thanks for your kind words, and I hope that my word have helped you.
P.s Sorry it's so long.

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