Attacks gluttony, insatiable hunger - Causes, symptoms and treatment. MF.

Binge eating and unquenchable hunger are generalized by one concept - bulimia. This is an uncontrolled need to get a large, sometimes huge, amount of food for a short period of time.

A single dose is sometimes caloric and volume several times greater than the daily need for food. Physiological urges or a call to the patients themselves vomiting after eating take place several times a day. Nevertheless, bulimia should be considered by doctors in a much broader sense.

Food and all the problems associated with this, a kind of distracting maneuver, masking emotional problems hidden deep in the subconscious. In addition, the disease has a significant effect on the lukrug of a person, relatives, duzey patient. Looping a patient on thoughts about food leads to the fact that it becomes difficult to contact with others, interests and plans for the future change, ambitions are not realized, dreams are not realized, the patient is closed within the walls of his own captivity.

When binge eating can be considered a pathology of

It is very important to distinguish from usual gluttony from of uncontrolled overeating ( compulsive overeating).In itself, overeating is not a disease.

The presence of the mental disorder can be suspected by revealing a number of specific symptoms that characterize bulimia. Symtomas are specific signs or complaints of the patient that describe the disease. When these symptoms are few, you can combine them into a syndrome and be attributed to any disease. So in the case of bulimia, the symptoms are:

- Lack of control over food - the inability to stop eating, to physical discomfort and pain.
- Secrecy.
- Eating an unusually large amount of food without obvious weight changes.
- The disappearance and theft of food, the formation of patients caches of unhealthy food.
- The alternation of overeating and fasting is "all or nothing" when it comes to eating.
- The patient disappears after eating and attempts to induce vomiting or an enema.
- The smell of vomiting in the bathroom or toilet.
- Excessive physical activity, especially after eating.
- Microcracks or scars in the throat from provocation of vomiting.
- "Chipmunk" cheeks, due to swelling after vomiting.
- Discolored or yellow teeth from exposure to stomach acid.
- Frequent fluctuations in weight up to five kilograms.

All bulimic attacks reflect the patient's feelings and are a way to get rid of negative emotions. At this point, you can trace the similarity with the dependence, for example, drug addiction. At the initial stages, the use of the drug has a positive effect. As in the case of drug addiction, bulimia can be accompanied by reckless behavior, even minor crimes( theft of food or drugs) take place. Patients often deny that there is a problem, hiding their behavior, trying to deceive others.

Problems with bulimia are often complicated by others. Conflicts in the family because of eating a lot of food, social isolation.

Causes of binge eating attacks

Scientists believe that gluttony is a panic, compulsive( uncontrolled) overeating, the causes of which lie in a combination of genes with negative emotions. Studies of brain structures have shown that the formation of the disease is based on dysfunction( impaired function) of the brain responsible for appetite. In addition, the development of bulimia affects the genetic predisposition to addiction, upbringing( if the family food was used as a means to mitigate stressful situations).

When there are other causes that affect the disease, the disorder is considered to be "non-diluted".It:
- Ugly proportions of the body, far from the physical ideal.
- Low self-esteem.
- Mental trauma or illness in the past.
- Lack of life partner or constant sexual partner.
- Strong changes in life.
- The period of onset of puberty.
- Public profession or type of activity.

Risk Factors for Bulimia

Six factors affecting the development of an eating disorder have been identified, the most important are four of them:

Hereditary factor.
It is believed that the disease can be inherited( the factor is associated with a distorted view of the models and standards associated with food).Tests performed on twins show that both subjects have a predisposition to bulimia and is associated with the 10th chromosome.

Physiological factor.
Bulimia strongly influences the hormonal balance in the body, therefore it is extremely difficult to determine the true endocrine disruptions in the formation of the disease. It is impossible to know exactly whether a low level of hormones is the cause of the disease or its consequence. Nevertheless, studies show that endocrine causes of bulimia should be considered:

- a chronically elevated level of stress hormones( hormones glucocorticoid group is responsible for the regulation of carbohydrate metabolism);
- dysfunction of neurotransmitters( nerve impulse transmitter): serotonin( mood, anxiety, appetite), norepinephrine( stress) and dopamine( stimulant);
is an abnormal level of the hormone responsible for hunger and metabolism.

Psychological factor.
Personality traits and emotional problems make a significant contribution to the formation of bulimia. Such as low self-esteem, a sense of hopelessness, a panic fear of gaining weight, uncontrolled behavior, emotional instability.
Many features of the human psyche are the result of many years of environmental impact. It is difficult to understand what influences the development of the disease more, cultural or psychological factors.

Examples of psychological influence:
According to studies, 40% of weight loss in girls aged 9-10 years was due to the insistence of parents and the excessive emotionality of the mother in this matter;
Disease is less common in families where there are traditions and daily routines and more often where relatives rarely eat together at the same table;
Among victims of violence, bulimia is 35% higher.

Cultural factor.
Hindoo in the modern world is considered an indicator of the success and value of a person. Colorful magazines, television programs and beauty shows promote shabbiness. There was a stereotype that only a slender man is beautiful. Sport, work and creative activities are forced to monitor their weight, maintain their shape and appearance. Therefore, the risk of developing bulimia is highest among actors, television crews, athletes and dancers.

Diseases that can cause binge eating attacks

Depression - a mood disorder, can be a precursor of bulimia.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a personality disorder in which uncontrolled behaviors are possible, such as for example gluttony.

Schizophrenia - there is one form when patients are dissatisfied with the proportions of their body or believe that eating them harms. Delirious judgments and refusal of food, provocation of vomiting are characteristic.

Obesity is a chronic disease, manifested by increased body weight. In order to lose weight, patients can resort to such methods as calling up vomiting or taking special drugs for weight loss. The disease can be transformed into bulimia.

Diabetes mellitus - develops as a result of a lack of hormone insulin. Patients are on lifelong supporting treatment with a special drug. Artificial insulin causes a strong sense of hunger in patients, there may be bouts of gluttony, fat tissue grows.

Trauma and hematoma( bleeding) of the brain in the past lead to impaired brain activity. In consequence, an organic personality disorder may develop, when the patient's behavior becomes not quite adequate. There may be overeating or chronic vomiting.

Dependence on psychoactive substances( alcohol, drugs) - when coding or long-term abstinence from these substances, the disease can become dependent on bulimia.

Thyroid dysfunction: Hypothyroidism - greatly increased appetite, the synthesis of male and female sex hormones is broken, patients constantly feel cold. Hyperthyroidism - the function of hormone synthesis is disrupted, the patients develop mental deficiency and they are not able to control their actions to the fullest. The nervous and digestive system is affected, all metabolic processes are slowed down, the patient can gain weight.

Stroke - a violation of cerebral blood loss, which leads to dysfunction( frustration) cerebral and nervous activity. In the future, deviations in the norms of eating behavior are possible.

Facts and Myths about Bulimia.

There are many myths and false beliefs about bulimia. We represent the most popular of them.

Myth number 1 - "If there is no vomiting, I do not have bulimia."
Vomiting is the most common symptom, but there are others that indicate a disease.

Myth No. 2 - Regular vomiting after each meal.
A person suffering from bulimia can eat normally, and does not always provoke vomiting.

Myth # 3 - Only teenage girls suffer from bulimia.
There are data that indicate that 1-3% of men are susceptible to this disease. At present, there is a tendency to increase the age of the diseased.

Myth # 4 - A person suffering from bulimia, fat.
Most people suffering from bulimia have weight within normal limits.

Myth # 5 - They do not die of bulimia.
Physical effects of bulimia include electrolyte imbalance( which causes heart problems - weakness of the heart muscle and lead to myocardial infarction), damage to the digestive system( including rupture of the stomach or esophagus).Such cases can be lethal. The disease is sometimes associated with depression, which can cause suicidal attempts.

Myth № 6 - "Vomiting is needed only for weight loss, everything is under control."
Bulimia is not a diet, it is an eating disorder. The causes of bulimia often have little to do with losing weight. Vomiting can be seen as an attempt to cope with stress.

Myth # 7 - The best way to treat bulimia is to stop vomiting.
When a person is addicted to a disease, it will not be possible to "just" throw, forbidding vomiting, the disease will take a different form.

Diagnosis of bulimia

To diagnose bulimia, a physician should:

1. Collect an anamnesis( medical information) of a patient's life.
2. Anamnesis of diseases in the past.
3. Find 3 or more of the symptoms( see above) that characterize
disease. 4. Undertake generally available examinations that exclude other disorders that may affect the development of bulimia.(CT, MRI, Echo-EG, MC for sugar, biochemical AK, total AK, analysis for sex hormones and thyroid)
• AK-blood analysis
• MRI-magnetic resonance imager
• CT computer scanner.
5. Talking with a relative and relatives for the purpose of obtaining additional information about the patient, as well as in case the patient hides his disease.
6. Use of ICD-10 for diagnosis( international classification of the disease 10 revision)

When and to which doctor to apply for binge eating attacks

It is unlikely that a patient with bulimia will consult a doctor on their own. This is possible only if the disturbed eating behavior is disturbed by other somatic( bodily) disorders.

1. Treatment at the resuscitator takes place in conditions of resuscitation department and patients are delivered, as a rule, to the ambulance brigade. Patients are hospitalized with loss of consciousness of unknown origin, pain in the heart, dehydration, fainting, low blood pressure. Violation is considered "acute" and assistance is rendered urgent. In the intensive care hospital, fill the volume of lost fluid and microelements in the body by infusion( dropper) therapy, then after stabilizing the patient moves to another compartment along the profile.

2. Treatment in the therapist, in the conditions of therapeutic separation, when the consequences of the disease are less severe. Sometimes the patient is transferred to therapy from the intensive care unit as agreed by the doctors.

3. Consultation of the surgeon for pain in the abdomen, feces and vomiting with an admixture of blood. These symptoms indicate trauma or rupture of internal organs, bleeding hemorrhoids. Surgery may be required.

4. Address to the otolaryngologist in the presence of a patient with a nasopharyngeal infection, enlarged cervical lymph nodes.

5. Treatment at the endocrinologist at hormonal and endocrine disturbances.

6. With carious lesions, tooth enamel weakness, gum bleeding, they perform sanation( treatment) of the oral cavity at the dentist.

7. Appeal to a psychiatrist for the purpose of counseling, prescribing medication or placing a psychiatric hospital in a hospital. Treatment in a special institution( psychiatric hospital) is planned and by agreement of the patient. Forced treatment can only be by court order.
If necessary, the patient is examined before admission to hospital with other specialists.

For admission to the clinic with you must have tests: a general blood test, urine, a certificate of absence of infectious diseases and contacts with infected patients;depending on the host institution, HIV and hepatitis, blood sugar, preferably a biochemical blood test.
In less severe cases of bulimia, treatment in outpatient settings is possible. To do this, you need to contact the district psychiatrist at your place of residence or to a paid consultation at any of the clinics.

8. The narcologist is consulted in order to identify the presence of concomitant addictions( alcoholism, drug addiction, etc.), as well as to clarify the degree of dependence on bulimia.

9. Consultation of a neurologist, if necessary, to undergo such examinations as CT and MRI.Who can exclude the pathology of brain structures that affect the development of the disease.

10. Treatment at the psychotherapist with the purpose of revealing the reasons of the illness, which are hidden in the subconscious of the patient, it is also possible to adjust or reduce the dose of psychiatric drugs.

11. A nutritionist or valeologist will advise how to eat properly, talk about a healthy lifestyle.

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