Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia nervosa, also called bulimia, is an eating disorder. Eating disorders are mental health conditions that can be potentially life-threatening. If you have an eating disorder, you may have an obsession with food and weight. This obsession can harm your physical and emotional well-being.

Bulimia nervosa can be defined as a pattern of eating characterized by:

1. Consuming an unusually large amount of food in a short period of time (binge eating).
2. Getting rid of the food (purging). Purging may involve making yourself throw up (vomiting) or taking laxatives. Laxatives are medications that speed up the movement of food through your body.

Other characteristics of bulimia nervosa may include:

• Misuse of water pills (diuretics) or diet pills.
• Eating very little or not at all (fasting).
• Excessively exercising.
• Hiding food to binge and purge later.

People with bulimia are usually at a normal, healthy weight. But they judge themselves harshly based on their view of their body shape and/or weight. They usually have self-esteem issues closely linked to their body image.

Who does bulimia nervosa affect?

Bulimia nervosa affects people assigned female at birth more often than people assigned male at birth. It typically develops during adolescence or early adulthood. But it can affect people of all ages. Between 1% and 2% of people will experience bulimia during any given year. Bulimia can occur in people of any sex, gender, age, race, ethnicity or body type.

What’s the difference between bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa?

People with bulimia nervosa usually have a normal weight. They engage in a cycle of binging and purging. People with anorexia nervosa are usually underweight. They engage in self-starvation, extreme diets and extreme exercise to lose weight. People with anorexia nervosa think they’re fat even though they’re very thin. They may get so thin they look sick.