Bulimia (cont.)

Medical Author:

Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD

Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD

Dr. Roxanne Dryden-Edwards is an adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist. She is a former Chair of the Committee on Developmental Disabilities for the American Psychiatric Association, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and Medical Director of the National Center for Children and Families in Bethesda, Maryland.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Medical Treatment

Treatment of bulimia usually involves counseling and behavioral therapy. Most eating disorders are not about food but about self-esteem and self-perception. Therapy is most effective when it concentrates on the issues that cause the behavior, rather than on the behavior itself.

Individual therapy, combined with group therapy and family therapy, is often the most helpful. Group therapy, where people with the same disease get together and share their experiences with the guidance of a therapist, seems to work well for people with bulimia. Facilities experienced in the treatment of eating disorders are recommended.

Since people with bulimia also often suffer from depression, anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), treatment of those disorders with psychiatric medication may be appropriate in combination with counseling. People whose symptoms do not adequately improve with psychotherapy and education may also benefit from the addition of medications for treatment.

Any serious medical problem related to an eating disorder may require hospitalization. Electrolyte imbalances will be corrected and fluids will be given to rehydrate. IV nutrition may even be required. Even if immediate hospitalization isn't needed for medical treatment, the doctor may request an urgent referral to a psychiatric facility for evaluation.