Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating and purging, or consuming a large amount of food in a short amount of time followed by an attempt to rid oneself of the food consumed (purging), typically by vomiting, taking a laxative or diuretic, and/or excessive exercise. These acts are also commonly accompanied with fasting over an extended period of time. Bulimia nervosa is considered to be less life threatening than anorexia; however, the occurrence of bulimia nervosa is higher. Bulimia nervosa is nine times more likely to occur in women than men (Barker 2003). The vast majority of those with bulimia nervosa are at normal weight. Antidepressants, especially SSRIs, are widely used in the treatment of bulimia nervosa (Newell and Gournay 2000). Patients who have bulimia nervosa are often linked with having impulsive behaviors involving overspending and sexual behaviors as well as having family histories of alcohol and substance abuse, mood and eating disorders.

The term bulimia comes from Greek βουλιμία (boulīmia; ravenous hunger), a compound of βους (bous), ox + λιμός (līmos), hunger. Bulimia nervosa was named and first described by the British psychiatrist Gerald Russell in 1979. Bulimia is strongly familial. Twin studies estimate the heritability of syndromic bulimia to be 54-83%.

According to Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach by David Barlow and Mark Durand, among those who present for treatment, the overwhelming majority (90-95 percent) of individuals with bulimia are women. Males do develop the disorder. However, they have a slightly later age of onset, and males with bulimia are more likely to have disturbances in the development of their identity with a greater tendency towards sexual inhibition in the context of heterosexuality, apparent asexuality, manifest homosexuality, or bisexuality. Males that participate in sports that require weight regulation, such as wrestling, are another large group of males with eating disorders. Among women, adolescents are the most at risk. A survey of 496 adolescent girls reported that more than 12 percent experienced some form of eating disorder by the time they were 20. Anorexia and bulimia are the most culturally specific psychological disorders yet identified, and for many young women, looking good for their social life is much more important than being healthy. Self-worth, happiness, and success are largely determined by body measurements and percentage of body fat for young women. Over the years the size and weight of the average woman has increased with improved nutrition. Over the years there has also been an increased message from the media to be thin. The media projects a thin-ideal rather than a healthy-ideal, and this causes women and young girls to work toward having a thin body even if it means purging.