Bulimia Nervosa

            
             Bulimia is characterized by alternating episodes of binge eating and purging. A binge may be anything from a single bag of chips to a whole bag of groceries, but what all binges have in common is that the sufferer feels out of control and not able to stop eating. Suffers consume huge quantities of food, sometimes twenty thousand calories at a time. Foods on which they binge are food labeled as "comfort foods" i.e. sweet foods, higher calories, or smooth, soft foods like ice cream, cake and pastries. The binge stops only when the person is physically unable to eat any more or when he/she is feeling guilty and, self-loathing becomes so strong that the purge desire takes over.
             Purging most often takes the form of vomiting; the bulimic makes himself/herself throw up in a desperate attempt to get rid of the food consumed during the binge. While some people may stick their fingers down their throats to make themselves vomit, others use dangerous drugs intended only to induce vomiting after the accidental ingestion of poison. Some people also abuse laxatives or overexercise to keep themselves from gaining weight after a binge. In addition to bingeing and purging, some bulimics periodically deny themselves food for a day or more; this fasting is characteristic of another eating disorder, anorexia nervosa. .
             People with Bulimia can look perfectly normal. Most of them are of normal weight, and some may be overweight. 1 - 3% of females aged 13 - 30 have symptoms of bulimia, also 33% have substance-related disorders. These symptoms start in adolescence and 90% of cases are female. It has shown that woman with Bulimia tend to be high achievers.
             It is often difficult to determine whether a person is suffering from Bulimia Nervosa. This occurs because binging and purging are done in secret. Also, individuals suffering from Bulimia don't want to admit they have a serious condition.
             Female athletes will bulimia nervosa are very similar to female non-athletes with that disorder, but there are some important additional factors at work also.