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Princess Diana struggled with an illness for a decade that began shortly after her engagement with Prince Charles. She herself referred to it as a secret disease and indeed, it is a disorder that can be carefully concealed. We are talking about bulimia, or mental gluttony. The disease most often affects young women, and its causes include a lack of self-acceptance, emotional problems, and family conflicts.
- Princess Diana suffered from what she called a “secret disease”
- Bulimia, because this disease affected the Duchess, can indeed be kept a secret for a long time
- Bulimia nervosa is accompanied by compulsive behavior, but the disorder can be effectively treated
- You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page
Bulimia at Princess Diana’s
From the biography of Princess Diana, we can learn that her eating disorders began when she was 19 years old. She identified her future husband’s comment, a week after the engagement, as a flashpoint. She heard that she was a bit chubby around the waist. People with bulimia often face the problem of a lack of self-acceptance, but also a lack of acceptance by the environment. Their mechanisms of self-regulation and self-control are disturbed, hence binge eating.
People with bulimia nervosa go into a binge eating cycle followed by a purging phase by inducing vomiting, using laxatives or diuretics. Other methods include fasting or excessive exercise. Bulimics often plan an episode of eating, choosing the night time or times when the household is away. This way, they can keep this eating disorder a secret for a long time.
Princess Diana emphasized that bulimia was associated with a feeling of shame and hatred towards oneself. From her perspective, outsiders consider the behaviors accompanying bulimia a waste of food, which makes it impossible to talk to anyone about this problem. Princess Diana struggled with bulimia for 10 years.
Early treatment of bulimia nervosa gives the best chance of a quick and long-term treatment of this eating disorder. In the example of Princess Diana, it can be seen that this is a persistent ailment that can last for many years if left untreated.
If you are struggling with disturbed self-esteem or mental eating disorders, do not hesitate and make an appointment with a psychologist. If you want to work on your health under the supervision of a dietitian, you can first perform an e-panel of tests recommended before visiting a dietitian.
How is bulimia going?
Bulimia nervosa is a serious eating disorder that is accompanied by compulsive overeating at times of difficult emotions, in stressful situations, when there is anger or anxiety.
During a binge eating attack, the person with bulimia eats a lot in a short time; then it does not feel in control of its actions, nor does it perceive how quickly it is eating. Some feel detached from what they are doing. Among the foods eaten during a binge eating attack, there may be things that the person with bulimia does not like or usually avoid. After such an episode, the patient feels a strong sense of guilt and undertakes compensatory behaviors – purging, fasting or intense exercise.
Binge eating is a difficult and depressing experience for a person with bulimia. It creates a feeling of being trapped in the binge and purging cycle. Bulimics often have a disturbed image of their body, are afraid of gaining weight and judge themselves extremely strictly. Bulimia is not directly related to eating, but to the mental state, therefore its treatment requires the support of a psychologist.
Do you feel unwell and you don’t know why or are you struggling with long-term stress? Test yourself, do:
- a research package to assess the causes of mood swings;
- a package of tests for people exposed to long-term stress.
What are the consequences of Princess Diana’s secret illness?
Bulimia not only adversely affects the patient during the mentally and physically burdensome cycle of overeating and the cleansing ritual. The long-term effects of bulimia include:
- tooth damage;
- damage to the throat and vocal cords;
- erosions and damage to the esophagus or stomach;
- stomach flabbiness;
- kidney problems;
- increased risk of heart disease.
Untreated bulimia has serious health consequences and can even be fatal. However, if treatment is instituted, many of the complications of the disease can be cured.
Bulimia can be treated
Treatment of bulimia nervosa is most effective and is quickest when it is started early enough. The method of therapy is best selected individually. It is important to break the cycle of compulsive behaviors, and then therapeutic work to identify their causes and develop other self-regulating mechanisms.
In the treatment of bulimia, the help of a dietitian, psychotherapist and, if necessary, pharmacological treatment under the supervision of a psychiatrist is important. The methods used include cognitive behavioral therapy, journaling or psychodynamic therapy techniques. Individual therapy is carried out, but also group psychotherapy.