The hidden costs of bulimia

By Lyn Jenkins

OFTEN, those who haven't had bulimia, or cared for someone who has, (and frankly some who have) think that this disease is all about appearance.

To a point, they would be right. The outcome of bulimia is about appearance and weight, but the outcome pales next to the cause and the process. 

Those with bulimia struggle with feeling that they are not wanted, that they do not fit in and, so begins a cycle of trying to make themselves fit in by becoming more attractive. A process that is intended to bring them control, but a cycle over which they have no control and one that creates misery and torment for them and those that love them.

For a significant number of bulimia sufferers, the pain doesn't end here though, the emotions and compulsions that power bulimia can overpower other aspects of their lives. As they try to battle bulimia, the emotions can pour over into other coping methods, including: taking drugs, having sex with a large number of partners and shoplifting items to allow them to binge and purge or improve their appearance. 

All of these things are not uncommon among people fighting bulimia though they will not affect everyone. As a bulimic may not necessarily look ill, it is often not recognised by the authorities that this activity is part of a disorder for which they need treatment. Instead, they are criminalised which exposes them to further feelings of exclusion, difficulty fulfilling their plans to get on with their lives and actively fuels the disorder. 

Here, in the video above, one man in the grip of bulimia talks about his experiences of shoplifting, while engaging in another escape behaviour: drugs. 

This is an example of how bulimia can tear a life apart, but there's also a little bit of his own hope and positivity shining through.