Bulimia Nervosa is a disorder that is characterized by the need to binge eats and to purge the body of the food that was eaten, in an attempt to undo the effects of eating so much. Bulimics are usually aware that they have a problem but are usually afraid of gaining weight. There are three primary symptoms associated with Bulimia Nervosa.

The first symptom is an irregularly large amount of food intake which is usually accompanied with feeling of loss control and depression. The first symptom is evident in the disappearance of large amounts of food in a very short time or a large amount of empty food containers in the garbage seemingly overnight.

The second symptom is vomiting, accompanied by excessive use of laxative or obsessive exercise. Evidence of this symptom is frequently going straight to the bathroom after meals, faint smells of vomit on the body or clothing of the person or in the bathroom. You may also notice an incredible amount of boxes from laxatives or diuretics.

The third symptom would be an obsessive concern about body size, weight and the shape of the body. This is characterized by excessive exercise, working out for unnatural amounts of time, and constant fear that they are not working out enough.

Other symptoms include unusual swelling in the face especially the cheeks, calluses on the backs of the hand, discoloration of the teeth, withdrawing from friends and family, and spending a lot of time in the gym and following some new diets.

The eating disorder doctors have the belief that recovery is more likely if the illness is discovered early on, that is why it is very important to be aware of the warning signs of the disorder. Bulimia is very harmful because the binge and purge incidents affect the digestive system and the purging causes imbalances in electrolytes and chemical imbalances that affect the organs and the hearts proper functioning.

There are many consequences of having bulimia nervosa, each with very serious and life threatening risks. A person may experience electrolyte imbalances that may lead to heart failure. This can also lead to dehydration and losses of potassium. They may also rupture the esophagus from vomiting, they will experience tooth decay from vomiting the acids of the stomach. They may also experience frequent, chronic and irregular bowel movements because of excessive use of laxatives.

Discovering the warning signs of this illness may help you save someone you love from killing themselves. It is important to remember in addition to all the facts previously that it affects mostly young women, most of the patients for bulimia are female, and that it is a sign of depression and changes in their lives.