Bulimia Nervosa
As I did with anorexia nervosa, I used MentalHealth.com to look at the diagnostic criteria of bulimia nervosa. I’ve just copied & pasted these because putting a defnition in “my own words” really makes no sense if I’m trying to teach someone something! : )
1. Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:
a. 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
b. a sense of lack of control over eating during the episode
2. Recurrent inappropriate compensatory behavior 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 behaviors both occur, on average, at least twice a week for 3 months.
4. Self-evaluation is unduly influenced by body shape and weight.
5. The disturbance does not occur exclusively during episodes of Anorexia Nervosa.
Like anorexia nervosa, there are two types of bulimia including the purging type where the person has regularly engaged in self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas or the nonpurging type where the person has used other inappropriate compensatory behaviors, such as fasting or excessive exercise, but has not regularly engaged in self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas.
Both types are equally as harmful although they have slightly different visible “signs” or symptoms that I will write about later.
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