Helping patients of bi polar disorder: Leads to eating disorder
Eating disorders are relatively common among people with bipolar disorder. Even though little study has been conducted on this, researchers believe that bipolar disorder patients find eating to be a coping mechanism for their illness. Medications can also trigger feelings of hunger as a side effect for some patients. According to studies, about of 25.5% of bipolar disorder patients have some kind of eating disorder. The most common eating disorders associated with bipolar disorder are binge eating disorder (BED) and Bulimia Nervosa (BN).
bi polar disorder and Binge eating
Binge eating disorder is a condition in which the patient frequently eats large amounts of food and feels a loss of control over their eating. Most bipolar disorder patients develop binge eating disorder with their first episode of bipolar disorder. Episodes of mania or depression are the peak times for binge eating disorder.
bipolar disorder and Bulimia
A person with bulimia eats a great deal of food in a short period of time and tries to prevent weight gain by getting rid of the food in an act known as purging. Purging can take the form of vomiting, overuse of laxatives, overuse of enemas or other medications for elimination. In bipolar disorder, a patient’s bulimia nervosa develops with the first episode of their illness. Bulimia nervosa is most often found in female patients.
Risk factors.
Eating disorders with bipolar can cause many risks to the patient. These risks can not only cause the patient to suffer further with bipolar disorder, but they can also do damage to the body and eventually prove fatal if left untreated. The risks include include:
