1. What is bulimia? Bulimia, also called bulimia nervosa, is a psychological eating disorder. Bulimia is characterized by episodes of binge eating followed by inappropriate methods of weight control (purging). Inappropriate methods of weight control include vomiting, fasting, enemas, excessive use of laxatives and diuretics, or compulsive exercises. Excessive shape and weight concerns are also characteristics of bulimia. A binge is an episode where an individual eats a much larger amount of food than most people …showed first 75 words of 2249 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2249 total…new study, Dr. Walter Kaye, a University of Pittsburgh psychiatry professor, has found evidence that bulimic women have altered brain chemistry, possibly from birth, which puts them at higher risk for eating disorders—even long after they’ve recovered from bulimia. A new study adds to evidence that the eating disorder bulimia springs at least in part from a chemical malfunction in the brain and not merely from excessive desire to remain thin, researchers say.