Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia Nervosa is an eating disorder in which individuals force themselves to vomit after eating a meal. First, a bulimic will binge, or eat an excessive amount of food. "Bulimia" is a greek work meaning "ox hunger" or compulsive appetite. "Nervosa" implies that the disorder has a psychiatric cause. Bulimics overeat because of psychological issues, not hunger. Then, they begin to feel guilty for overeating, and attempt to rid their body of the calories by purging. They do this by vomiting, fasting, exercising, or using laxatives, or diuretics. They take these behaviors to the extreme, and may binge and purge multiple times per day. Bulimia is very common in women and girls. It affects 1.1 to 4.2 percent of all females. Like anorexia, it is much less common in men. Less than ten percent of all bulimics are male.