bulemia

Bulimia nervosa is defined as two or more episodes of binge eating (rapid consumption of a large amount of food, up to 5,000 calories) every week for at least three months. The binges are sometimes followed by vomiting or purging and may alternate with compulsive exercise and fasting. The symptoms can develop at any age from early adolescence to 40, but usually become clinically serious in late adolescence. Bulimia is not as dangerous to health as anorexia, …

…and tend to cause weight loss rather than weight gain. In 1997, fluoxetine became the first drug specifically approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a treatment for bulimia. References Roth, W.T., & Insel P.M. (1996). Core Concepts in Health. Toronto: Mayfield. Kendler, K.S. (1991). The genetic epidemiology of bulimia nervosa. American Journal of Psychiatry, 148:1627-1637. Mitchell, J.E. (1996). Bulimia Nervosa. West Virginia Health Page. http://www.wvhealth.wvu.edu/clinical/mentalhealth/edbulim.htm