The medical term bulimia was borrowed as recently as 1979 from an older French word meaning “an unstoppable desire to consume”, which is why in France, at least, people will sometimes say jokingly “Hey, you’re bulimic today!” or talk about “bulimia of reading”. However the medical problem of bulimia, characterised by eating huge amounts of food, is no joke. It would be a mistake not to take it seriously, because bulimia sufferers know how much damage it can do.

Let’s start with some figures to give us an overview. For one sufferer in three, this disorder will become chronic. One or two people who have the disorder will die of it… so why is bulimia (the word comes originally from the Greek for “ox” + “hunger” as in “I could eat an ox”) not taken more seriously? Maybe because it has a low profile, and is invisible in most cases. One of your friends and family may suffer from it without you knowing. Only 30% of sufferers put on weight as a result of having this condition. That’s because, by way of compensation for their addiction, the victim – and it’s often girls who are affected – will selectively starve themselves or make themselves vomit. This is the result of strong feelings of guilt.

Feelings of guilt? Well, there’s no doubt at all that this disorder is a psychological one. The onset is often in the teenage years, at a time when young people are seeking, or constructing, their identities. For example, girls would like to identify with fashion models in the magazines, whose slender outlines don’t permit any over-indulgence in food. And how many conflicts there are in a girl’s head! How can you reconcile all those demands when you’re only 15 years old? Bulimia comes down to self-esteem, or rather a lack of self-esteem. There’s a sort of identity crisis, from which addiction to food provides some kind of escape, although in reality it’s more of a downward spiral or vicious circle. Other factors, which may be genetic (hormonal deficit), familial or social, can also favour bulimia, but the core of the problem is psychological.

How can you break the vicious circle? It’s difficult to escape from it on your own, and the best way is to get help. There’s no shame in this. A doctor can help a person suffering from this pathology to regulate their food intake, and to rediscover the pleasures of eating without giving way to devastating impulses. Psychology is at the heart of the problem, and the help of a psychotherapist will also be very valuable. The therapist can help the victim to regain self-confidence and accept their own image, and will explain what is to be gained by returning to a more normal approach to food.

Let’s finish on a positive note – in most cases, bulimia can be treated, and can be treated effectively. However to tackle it more effectively, we need to understand the problem, and it’s not always obvious.

Nu