How to Help a Person with Bulimia: 6 Tips to Provide Support

Generally, people with bulimia try to hide their symptoms, and contrary to what is believed, many times their physical appearance is not extremely thin. However, by being attentive to the details we can notice the presence of this disorder and provide them with the necessary attention and support.

In this article we are going to see how to help a person with bulimia using various techniques based on psychological support and we will also review the concept of bulimia and its main causes, as well as the associated disorders.

What is bulimia?

To adequately establish how to help a person with bulimia, it is important to know what this alteration consists of.

Bulimia is an eating disorder in which the person who suffers from it feel the irrational urge to binge eat These excesses occur in a short period of time, and subsequently the feeling of guilt for having eaten in that way leads the subject to practice induced vomiting (it can be through manual techniques or by consumption of laxatives) or other forms of purging or attempts to lose weight.

Obviously, bulimia has repercussions on the person, leading them to experience significant discomfort, both physical (vomiting and harmful eating patterns) and mental (anxiety and the inability to regulate binge eating behavior). Intense states of anxiety as mealtimes approach They are characteristic of people with bulimia.

Causes of this eating disorder

The origin of this disorder depends on various factors of a social, psychological and biological nature People who are more prone to developing bulimia are generally constantly worried about their weight, even though it is within normal parameters.

Subjects with obesity problems or those who do not feel satisfied with their physical state and have a marked rejection of their own body or a particular characteristic of it, usually their weight (body dysmorphia), have a greater risk of developing bulimia.

Another circumstance that promotes the origin of this disorder is the need to meet beauty standards that some brands promote by disseminating their marketing and advertising pieces.

Low self-esteem and personal insecurities They are some of the most common psychological factors that can lead people to develop bulimia.

How to help a person with bulimia?

In the next lines we are going to see a list of tips on how to help a person with bulimia, explained so that they are easier to apply.

1. Avoid criticizing your weight

People with bulimia have a negative thought pattern when it comes to their own body This is why any criticism, even if it is constructive and with good intentions, will trigger significant discomfort in them. The ideal is not to emphasize your physical appearance during conversations.

2. Help them understand that they have a problem

The first step for the person to initiate a significant change in their dysfunctional eating habits is understand that their behavior is causing serious health problems

It is important to talk to the person and make them see that the physical appearance is not everything, and that physical and mental health are important, in addition to showing them that binging is a habit that should be corrected with therapy.

3. Accompany you to therapy

It is not enough to just provide support, it is necessary to make that person understand that the best source of help comes from a behavioral specialist Psychotherapy allows people to stabilize and reduce binge eating and purging, as well as the rest of the symptoms associated with this.

The therapist will be able to determine what the exact triggers of these behaviors may be and start a treatment plan that is responsible for specifically treating the subject’s thoughts that require restructuring.

4. Accompany without overwhelming

The accompaniment, complementary to the therapy, must be carefully carried out by the person who provides the support, taking into account that subjects with bulimia are quite anxious

It is necessary to be patient and gradually lead the subject to restore their eating habits, making them see why they should eat properly.

5. Accompany the nutritionist

Once our support and therapy begins to bear fruit and the person understands for themselves that they must change their eating habits, it is time to suggest that they attend with the nutritionist, who will be able to tell you what is the best diet to stay healthy beyond binge eating.

6. Help improve self-concept

If we manage to help the person have a better self-concept, we are taking giant steps in winning the battle against bulimia. We must make the subject understand that we are more than our physical appearance; Helping him discover what his main virtues and strengths are helps a lot.