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Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent binge eating, followed by compensatory behaviors referred to as “purging”.[1] The most common form—practiced by more than 75% of people with bulimia nervosa—is self-induced vomiting; fasting, the use of laxatives, enemas, diuretics, and over exercising are also common.[2]
The word bulimia derives from the Latin (bulimia) from the Greek ß????µ?a (boulimia; ravenous hunger), a compound of ß??? (bous), ox + ??µ?? (limos), hunger.[3]
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV TR) published by the American Psychological Association, the criteria for diagnosing a patient with bulimia are:
There are two sub-types of Bulimia Nervosa: purging and non-purging.
The onset of Bulimia Nervosa is often during adolescence (between 13 and 20 years of age), with many sufferers relapsing in adulthood into episodic binging and purging even after initially successful treatment and remission.[5]
Bulimia Nervosa can be difficult to detect, compared to Anorexia Nervosa , because bulimics tend to be of average or slightly above or below average weight. Many bulimics may also engage in significantly disordered eating and exercising patterns without meeting the full diagnostic criteria for Bulimia Nervosa.[6]
The collection of data on the incidence of bulimia nervosa in the general population is limited. far have been on convenience samples from hospital patients, high school or university students. These have yielded a wide range of results: between 0% and 2.1% of males, and between 0.3% and 7.3% of females.[7] more recent study indicates that 10% of adolescent girls and 3% of adolescent boys binge eat and purge at least once weekly. [8]
Although bulimia is overwhelmingly a disease of young women, it can affect others. Former British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott says he developed bulimia in his 60s [15].
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