Bulimia Factsheet (for Schools)

What Educators Should Know

Bulimia (also called bulimia nervosa) is an eating disorder where someone eats a lot of food in a short period of time (called binge eating) and then tries to get rid of it to prevent gaining weight.

To treat bulimia, medical specialists work as a team to help a person reach a healthy weight, develop healthy habits, and change the way they think about food and their body.

By working with your student and their family, you can help your student have their best educational experience.

Challenges for Students With Bulimia

Students with bulimia might:

• have a hard time concentrating
• not be able to play sports or do physical activities as well as expected
• have nausea, headaches, dizziness, or fatigue (tiredness)
• be irritable or have mood changes
• spend more time alone or avoid meals with other students
• have sudden weight loss or weight gain
• have trouble sitting still
• make frequent trips to the bathroom
• be overly focused on food, body image, weight, calories, or exercise

What Educators Can Do

Talk to your student and their parents about:

• How they want you to handle bathroom breaks for their child at school.
• What to do if your student is binge eating at school.
• If the student needs to take a break from physical education classes.
• If the student needs supervised lunches or monitoring during snacks or meals.
• Any other special instructions.

Other reminders:

• Review posters/books/materials in your classroom. Try to create a body-positive environment that supports all different body types.
• Encourage a healthy attitude about exercise and nutrition in your classroom.
• Help build your student’s confidence by recognizing and appreciating their strengths — in reading, sports, drama, art, or whatever they enjoy.
• Provide support. If you think your student is feeling upset by their bulimia, talk to them and their family about counseling options in school or in the community. Some school districts don’t require parents’ permission for a student to see a counselor at school while others do. Check your local school district’s policies.