Bulimarexia is an eating disorder that combines bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. Patients are diagnosed with eating disorder not otherwise specified (ED-NOS) and may require extensive therapy, nutritional counseling, and hospitalization. Patients with bulimarexia have low self-esteem and distorted body image, and may engage in prolonged fasting, bingeing, and purging. Health risks include organ damage, tooth enamel damage, and reduced bone mass. Treatment requires a personalized plan, including counseling and nutritional therapy, and in some cases, inpatient care.
Bulimarexia is a term used to refer to an eating disorder that mixes the characteristics of bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. This is not a formal diagnostic term; patients with bulimarexia are typically diagnosed with an eating disorder not otherwise specified (ED-NOS), a term used to describe people who clearly have disordered eating but do not meet the diagnostic criteria for anorexia or bulimia. Treatment of an ED-NOS can be complicated and in some cases may require extensive therapy, nutritional counseling and hospitalization.
Patients with bulimarexia usually have low self-esteem and a distorted body image. Women are more likely to develop this condition. The patient engages in an aggressive campaign designed to generate weight loss and falls into a cyclical pattern of disordered eating. This may include prolonged fasting accompanied by the use of drugs such as diuretics to try to lose weight, followed by a cycle of binge and purge in which the patient eats large quantities of food and vomits.
The health risks with bulimarexia are considerable. Patients can develop organ damage due to the extreme stress on the body along with problems such as tooth enamel damage and reduced bone mass leading to increased susceptibility to fractures. Co-morbidities such as depression can be seen, and patients may exercise excessively, placing strain on the body. Patients with bulimarexia may lose weight precipitously and will still report dissatisfaction with their appearance.
Treating ED-NOS is often difficult due to a lack of clear guidelines for patient care, such as for anorexia and bulimia. Patients with bulimarexia require a personalized treatment plan to address their disordered eating and body image issues while also working towards achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. This may include counseling with a mental health professional along with nutritional therapy. Nutrition for such patients can be complicated as patients try to avoid certain foods.
In some cases, a bulimarexia patient will need to receive care in an inpatient facility. This may be recommended when a patient is at serious risk of medical complications, including death, due to disordered eating, or when patients are unresponsive to outpatient treatment. In an eating disorder clinic, patients receive very attentive care from doctors and nurses with the goal of making them healthy enough to return to outpatient treatment. Many patients with eating disorders report lifelong struggles with food even after treatment, and it is important to continue treatment after the dangerous phase of the disease has passed.
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