Bulimia is term used commonly for an eating disorder called Bulimia nervosa. It is a psychological condition in which a person engages in recurrent binge eating followed by intentionally doing one or more of the following in order to compensate for the intake of the food and prevent weight gain:
* vomiting
* inappropriate use of laxatives, enemas, diuretics or other medication
* excessive exercising
* fasting
The following six criteria should be met for a person to be diagnosed with bulimia.
1) The person feels incapable of controlling the urge to binge, even during the binge itself, and consumes a larger amount of food than a person would normally consume at one sitting.
2) The person purges him or herself of the recent intake, resorting to vomiting, laxatives, diuretics, exercising, etc.
3) The person engages in such behavior at least twice per week for three months.
4) The person is focused upon body image and desperate desire to appear thin.
5) The person does not meet the diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa. Some anorectics may demonstrate bulimic behaviors in their illness: binge-eating and purging...