• This is part of our House MD Project series.

    Click here to read the connection to the episode (spoiler alert!)

    house-s01e14

    Photo by Fox.


    Danger level: High

    What is it?

    Bulimia nervosa (BN) is an eating disorder in which people eat a large amount of food in a short time and then get rid of the food they just ate.

    Who gets it?

    Like other eating disorders, mostly women (there are probably 10 times more women with the condition than men). It usually starts in teenage years or early twenties.

    It is believed that in the US about 1-3% of women of high school or college age have the condition.

    What causes it?

    As with other mental illnesses, the exact cause isn’t known. It may be a mix of a few elements -

    • Society – The modern Western world gives more and more importance to body image. Magazines and TV shows are scattered with images of thin individuals. Some people tend to equate thinness with success and worthiness. Add to that pressure from friends and the surroundings.
      mannequin
      A mannequin. With display windows showing such slim bodies, many women feel overweight. Photo by The Life of Bryan
    • Emotional health – People with eating disorders may have psychological problems contributing to the condition, such as low self esteem, perfectionism (like the woman on the House episode), impulsiveness, family or relationship conflicts, and so on.
    • Biology – It turns out there are genetics involved. If you have siblings or parents with the condition you may be more likely to develop it yourself.
    • Occupation – If you have a job or do a sport that give an importance to body size, such as ballet, modeling, or gymnastics, you may be more likely to develop bulimia (other things considered…).

    How does it feel?

    People with bulimia repeatedly eat in binges – this means they eat large amounts of food within a short time. They tend to do it secretly. The food tends to contain high calories, such as ice cream and cake, and can sometimes reach thousands of calories. They may eat such large quantities that their stomach and esophagus may be damaged or torn in the process.

    After eating comes the purging phase, in which they get rid of what they just ate. Ways of doing that include vomiting on purpose, taking laxatives (like the woman on the House episode), doing hard diets or fasting, over-exercising, or any combination of the above.

    The vomiting can erode our teeth, since vomit includes acid. It can also enlarge our salivary glands and cause damage to the esophagus. It can change the level of salts in our body, putting the body in risk of abnormal heart rhythms and sudden death.

    And, as was seen on the House episode, laxatives such as ipecac are dangerous to the heart.

    This video tells the story of Sarah Siskin, who died of bulimia:

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHZesejU6tU

    How is it discovered?

    When the doctor sees a person in the right age (and gender) that expresses concern about gaining weight combined with weight fluctuations, signs of laxative use, and other signs (such as scars on the knuckles from inducing vomiting, swollen salivary glands, etc.) their suspicion rises.

    The only way to be sure of the diagnosis is by having the patient tell, which doesn’t always happen.

    How is it treated?

    There are 2 ways to treat bulimia:

    Psychological: A therapy called cognitive-behavioral therapy is usually used, in which the wrong thoughts that led to the behavior are faced with, and people are helped to give them up.

    Medication: A type of antidepressant drug is given and may help.

    What happens after treatment?

    There’s no sure path. With some people the disease may be related to life crises and pass when they do. For others, it may be fluctuating over many years. That also depends on how compliant the person is with their treatment.


    What next?

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    Related posts:

    1. Naphthalene Poisoning – When Mothballs Kill More Than Just Moths (As Seen on House MD)
    2. Gas Gangrene – An Infection That Can Rapidly Kill Your Muscles (As Seen on House MD)
    3. Mastocytosis – It’s Not A Tumor, But Its Growth in Your Body Can Kill You (As Seen On House MD)
    4. Sickle Cell Disease – When the Shape of Your Blood Cells Can Kill You (As Seen On House MD)
    5. TTP – Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura – A Rare Disease That Could Kill You

    Posted by Roy @ 7:24 am13.07.2010

    Tags: , , ,

  • Facebook comments:

    • guest

      Government Funding / Research Scandal
      ———————————————
      It's an ingenious form of white collar crime:

      PHD credentials / contacts, an expendable family, participation of a dubious core of
      established professionals, Unaudited Government agency funding (GamblingResearch.org ), identity protected by Privacy Commissioner Office of Canada, (Jennifer Stoddart), unlimited funding (under the guise of research grants), PHD individuals linked with the patient (deter liability issues), patient diagnosed with mental illness (hospital committed events = no legal lawyer access/rights), cooperation of local University and police (resources and security); note the Director of Brock University Campus Security.

      This all adds up to a personal ATM; at the expense of Canadian Taxpayers!
      ——————-
      “convinced” to be taken to St. Catharines General hospital (2001) and conveniently diagnosed with a “mental illness” (hint: Hallucination type; “forced” to consume “prescribed” corresponding medication for “cognitive” purposes )
      ——————-
      **The Psych convinces the patients fragmented family, 70 yr old mother, 10 yr old nephew and his divorced sister (who rented across the incredibly “swank” and “beautiful” home of Marianne Edwards ( ex-Brock instructor ) and her husband (lawyer)), to move in together.

      They comply and obey to the “Doctor's” credentials, contacts, and financial gifts.
      ——————-
      “Where” and “How” have the participants been receiving their (lavish?) incomes from the past 8 years? Government Agencies like http://www.gamblingresearch.org/content/researc… (annual grants up to 500 k ) ?

      The link above takes you directly to one of their research teams. Lisa Root, ironically, met with me during the 2001 incident as a C.A.M.H. employee, who I was “encouraged” to meet.
      ——————-
      Google

      Medicine Gone Bad

      or

      http://medicine-gone-bad.blogspot.com/

    • Pingback: Mental Disorders 101

    • Apu Nahasapeemapetilon

      I love HouseMD!

    • http://www.guidedsmiles.com/how-dental-implants-in-houston-works.html Jerri Larimore

      It’s terrible really. If you have bulimia, don’t be shy about going to your physician – I’m pretty sure they’ll be able to help without judging you. As for the teeth damage, it can be fixed by today’s advanced dentistry – but note that you should treat the cause of your dental problems to completely stop it from happening again.

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