Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia Nervosa is characterized by binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviors such as vomiting, fasting, excessive exercise and the misuse of diuretics, laxatives or enemas. Bulimia Nervosa is 10 times more common in females than in males and affects up to 3 percent of young women. The condition usually begins between the ages of 13 and 20 years.

Who Suffers from Bulimia Nervosa?

There may be a generic predisposition to Bulimia Nervosa. Other factors may include psycological personality factors such as perfectionism, impaired self-concept, affective instability, poor impulse control and an absence of adaptive function to maturational tasks.

Development stress such as puberty, peer and parental relationship, sexuality, marriage and pregnancy can also be a factor.

Bulimia Nervosa appears to have become more prevalent during the past 30 years. Bulimia Nervosa is 10 times more common in females than in males and affects 1 to 3 percent of female adolescents and young adults.

Both Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa tend to be higher in certain populations such as College Sororities. In this type of environment a high priority is placed on thinness, and dieting is a common practice.

What are the Signs of Bulimia Nervosa

1. Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:
   1. Eating, in a discrete period of time, an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat during a similar period of time and under similar circumstances.
   2. A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode, feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating.
2. Repetitive inappropriate compensatory behaviors in order to prevent weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, diuretics, enemas or other medications, fasting or excessive exercise.
3. The binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behavior both occur, on average, at least twice a week for three months.
4. Self-evaluation is unduly influenced by body shape and weight.
5. The disturbance does not occur excessively during episodes of Anorexia Nervosa.