Bulimia nervosa

Bulimia nervosa, more commonly known as bulimia, is a psychological condition in which the subject engages in recurrent binge eating then intentionally does one or more of the following in order to compensate for the intake of the food and prevent weight gain:

• vomits
• inappropriately uses laxatives, enemas, diuretics or other medication
• exercises excessively
• fasts

A person is classified as bulimic when he or she feels an inablility to control the urge to binge, even during the binge itself, when he or she consumes a larger amount of food than a person would normally consume at one sitting, and when such behavior occurs at least twice per week for three months.

Bulimia is a pathology having to do with body image and the desperate desire to appear thin. The majority of bulimic patients are young females from 10 to 30 years old, although the disorder can occur in people of all ages and both sexes.

Also see

• anorexia nervosa
• binge eating disorder