Binge eating and purging – what harm can it do?  

Clara is a twenty five year old woman, whose first experience of purging was “strangely liberating”. She had been binge eating for two years and was growing into plus sizes when she was tempted to try purging. Ever since, she would sneak into the toilet at the dead of night after a food overload and simply empty the contents of her stomach. Clara started the habit to help her keep her weight under control. Today, she has to deal with binge eating, low body weight and extreme depression.  

Clara, and other men and women like her, have fallen into the predictable and sometimes inevitable cycle of binge eating and purging. A study published by the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine in June states that more than 10% of girls and 3% of boys in their teens indulge in binge eating and purging at least once every week. According to Dr. Alison E Field, an associate professor of Pediatrics with the Children’s Hospital, Boston, the degree of binge eating is disturbing, particularly at a time when cases of obesity are mounting.  

The cycle of binge eating and purging is very destructive. It contributes to a number of physical problems like lack of appetite, vitamin deficiency and symptoms associated with very low body fat. At the physical level, self-induced vomiting can cause calluses at the back of the knuckles. Acid that comes through the vomit can damage the enamel of the teeth causing cavities. But the biggest harm this cycle can do is to the mind.  

Binge eating and purging severely affect the psyche of the person. Persistent binge eating and purging can make victims feel intense self-hatred because of their inability to cope with their food problems in a healthy manner. It leaves lasting feelings of shame, anxiety and guilt. It also hampers inter-personal relationships, as victims are extremely secretive and try to fend off serious involvements due to the fear of their habit becoming public.  

Binge eating and purging often goes unnoticed by close friends and family members. So, the habit continues unchecked for a long time. Since purging gives victims a sense of control over the calories entering their system, most victims of binge eating take to purging as surely as day follows night.