This document summarizes information about anorexia and bulimia. It defines anorexia as a psychological and physical disorder characterized by extreme weight loss from self-imposed starvation and a distorted body image. Bulimia is defined as an eating disorder involving binge eating followed by purging through vomiting or laxative abuse. Both disorders are caused by socio-cultural pressures to be thin and affect mainly girls and young women. Symptoms include changes in menstrual cycles, digestive issues, and obsession with food, weight, and appearance. Treatment involves changing eating habits, weight monitoring, limiting exercise, medical tests, and psychological therapy.

3. Anorexia
What is it?
o Alimentary and psychological upset that brings a loss of weight cause by the
patient.
o Fear of gain weight.
o Distorted vision of the body.

4. Anorexia
Causes
o Socio-cultural factors.
o Unachievable ideals of beauty.

5. Anorexia
Symptoms
o The main symptoms are:
⁻ Distorted vision of their body and their weight.
⁻ Absence of three menstrual cycles.
⁻ Constipation, abdominal-ache, vomits, etc.
o Symptoms which alarm:
⁻
⁻
⁻
Excessive concern of the caloric value of food.
Eating less food.
Obsession of the appearance, the scale, studies and
sport.
o Clinical symptoms:
⁻
⁻
⁻
⁻
⁻
Decrease of the pulse.
Anaemia.
Always feeling cold.
Nails broke easily.
Loss of hair.

7. Anorexia
Treatment
o Change of the patient’s alimentary habits .
o Regular weight control.
o Restriction of sport.
o Regular analytic controls.
o Psychological therapy.

9. Bulimia
What is it?
o Eating disorder which consists on a lack of control over food, eating a lot in a
short period of time with vomits induced by the patient or excessive
consumption of laxatives.
o Hidden.
o 90% of the people with bulimia are girls.
o Frequently in teenagers and in the beginning
of adultness.

10. Bulimia
Causes
o Biological, psychological and social factors.
o Anxiety and the need of eating a lot of food.
o Familiar problems, drugs, overweight, diabetes….

11. Bulimia
Symptoms
o Continued concern for food.
o As soon as he has eaten, he locks himself in the bathroom.
o Fasting, strict diets and intense sport.
o Fear to gain weight.

12. Bulimia
Síntomas
o Apathy, fatigue and changes in sleeping rhythm.
Decrease of
the scholar or
labour
performance.
o Abdominal damage with constipation, lack of tooth enamel, damage in the
throat…
o Irregularity in the menstruation cycle.

13. Bulimia
Treatment
o Objective: improve the patient’s self-esteem.
o Antidepressant medicine combination and a cognitive-behavioural therapy
(terapia cognitivo-conductual (TCC)).