Bulimia Vs Anorexia: Getting to Know the Difference

Living a busy life, we tend to overlook a lot of things around us. We tend to get wrapped up in our own world that we don't always see what's happening to others. This is how bulimia and anorexia enter our lives. Eating disorders can be hidden for a time because we tend to overlook its signs. Bulimia vs. Anorexia is something that we must know and be aware of.

There are many diseases today that have symptoms that are very similar to other diseases. This can make diagnosing medical issues very difficult at times. Some ailments are not able to be seen for some time but yet the body is reacting and giving signs but the minds pushes them away. Other times, there are symptoms that are so noticeable that medical help is given immediately. Eating disorders may not seem a problem until the problem has been allowed to balloon into a massive blob that has overtaken the sufferers mind and body.

There are a variety of eating disorders; two of them are Bulimia and Anorexia. The difference between Bulimia and Anorexia can sometimes be confusing, especially at the onset of the diseases. The term "bulimia" refers to craving of food and "anorexia" refers to the inability to consume food due to possible weight gain. Sometimes the diseases may be heard as Bulimia Nervosa and Anorexia Nervosa. The term "nervosa" references the psychological thought process of food and how it's used.

One difference between Bulimia and Anorexia is that the Bulimic will eat a large amount of food, usually with a very high caloric intake, and then purge that very same food shortly afterwards. An Anorexic will not eat a large portion, if any at all, due to the extreme fear of gaining weight. A Bulimic will look "normal" weight wise and an Anorexic will lose weight to the point that there is a very obvious physical problem.

Since there are many similarities between the two eating disorders such as eating alone, purging, fear of gaining weight, stress, humility, depression, low self-esteem, extremely self-conscious about how they look to others makes determining the difference between Bulimia and Anorexia difficult at times. It is still unknown as to what causes these eating disorders as there could easily be a variety of factors. It is understood that they both have a psychological connection but is this connection due to being self-induced or caused by society?

Bulimics will eat and then purge, Anorexics may eat and then purge. Mentally they both use food for a sense of control. These facts about bulimia vs. anorexia helps to understand that the body, the physical aspect of the disease can be greatly affected but the mental destruction that occurs, in both the Bulimic and Anorexic is much, much greater. Discovering an eating disorder of a friend or a family member is saddening and heartbreaking to those around them once the diseases have been discovered.