Am I Experiencing Bulimia?
Bulimia (bulimia nervosa) is a condition characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, accompanied by repeated inappropriate compensatory behaviors aimed at preventing weight gain. Am I Experiencing Bulimia? is an indicative screening questionnaire designed to help clients self-assess whether their experiences might warrant further investigation.
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Offers theory, guidance, and prompts for mental health professionals. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.
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Introduction & Theoretical Background
Bulimia (bulimia nervosa) is a condition characterized by frequent, recurrent episodes of binge eating. These are distinct periods of time when the individual experiences a subjective loss of control over their food intake, eats notably more or differently than usual, and feels unable to stop eating or limit the type or amount of food eaten. This binge eating is accompanied by repeated inappropriate compensatory behaviors aimed at preventing weight gain (e.g. self-induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives or enemas, strenuous exercise). Bulimia is experienced by between 1 and 3 people out of every 100 (van Eeden, van Hoeken, Hoek, 2021).
The DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for bulimia include:
- Recurrent episodes of binge eating, characterized by both:
- Eating, in a discrete period of time, an amount of food that is definitely larger than what most individuals would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances.
- Feeling a lack of control
Therapist Guidance
“Some people who report similar experiences to yours have a condition called bulimia. I wonder if you might like to try a short quiz, to could give us an idea whether this problem troubles you?”
References And Further Reading
- American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).
- Stansfeld, S., Clark, C., Bebbington, P., King, M., Jenkins, R., & Hinchliffe, S. (2016). Chapter 2: Common mental disorders. In S. McManus, P. Bebbington, R. Jenkins, & T. Brugha (Eds.), Mental health and wellbeing in England: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014. Leeds: NHS Digital.
- van Eeden, A. E., van Hoeken, D., & Hoek, H. W. (2021). Incidence, prevalence and mortality of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 34, 515-524.
- World Health Organization. (2019). ICD-11: International classification of diseases (11th revision). Retrieved from https://icd.who.int/