Bulimia Nervosa
Criteria for Diagnosing Bulimia Nervosa
- Recurrent episodes of binge eating, (ingesting a large amount of food), with an associated sense of loss of control over eating during the episode.
- Recurrent use of inappropriate behaviors to prevent weight gain or to compensate for the effects of binge eating, such as:
- self-induced vomiting
- misuse of laxatives, diet pills, or diuretics (water pills)
- fasting
- excessive exercise
- Both binge eating and inappropriate behaviors occur at least two times per week for at least three months.
- Self evaluation is unduly influenced by weight or shape.
- The person does not meet criteria for anorexia nervosa.
Subtypes of Bulimia Nervosa
The two subtypes of bulimia nervosa are:
- Purging: engaging in self-induced vomiting or misusing diet pills, laxatives, or diuretics to compensate for the effects of binge eating
- Nonpurging: fasting or excessive exercise to compensate for the effects of binge eating