Medical Symptoms - infoMedMD

Bulimia is more common than people realize. Basically, it is the deliberate purging (or use of excessive fasting) of one's food intake in order to avoid weight gain. Many young people do this from time to time, and that does not necessarily make them bulimic - although it does put them at risk.

For this INFOMED, bulimia is defined as follows (based on the American Board of Psychiatry's criteria):

1. Eating an amount of food that is clearly larger than what most persons would eat in the same situation with the same amount of time, and/or a sense that one cannot stop eating or control content or quantity of food intake.



2. Behavior to compensate for binges; e.g., vomiting, abuse of laxatives or diuretics, fasting, excessive exercise



3. Binges and compensation both occur at least twice a week for 3 months (average)



4. Self-evaluation is influenced disproportionately by body composition/shape



There are two types of bulimia nervosa:



1. Purging Type: Compensatory behaviors include vomiting or the abuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas.



2. Non-purging Type: Compensatory behaviors are generally carried out without purging; e.g., the individual compensates exclusively via exercise or fasting.