Eating disorders are common in the United States. The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, says that eight million people are affected. The obsession to binge and purge, called bulimia, affects both men and women although it is more common in women. Almost twenty percent of women in the U.S. may suffer from bulimia. Eating disorders affects every group and is seen in all races and economic backgrounds and usually begins in the teenage years.
People with bulimia often maintain a normal weight or close to normal weight. This makes it hard to recognize the problem. Most patients keep their symptoms a secret because they are so ashamed of their problem.
It is important to be alert to this problem in your family and friends so that you can arrange appropriate treatment. Absent periods, binge eating, fluctuations in weight and misuse of laxatives are common features. But any extreme dieting behavior, or any other purging could be a tip off. In almost all cases the individual has a poor self-image and unrealistic expectations about the outcome, which can be fatal. Plastic surgeons try to be watchful for this type of problem because these patietns often seek liposuction. This may be dangerous because liposuction on a bulimic patient may have a poor outcome and make the existing psychological problems worse.