About of anorexics remain chronic. A typical bulimic patient is a young woman. They are also of average or slightly above average weight. These patients often ingest excessive quantities of high calorie, sweet, fattening foods followed by purging behavior, which typically consists of self-induced vomiting or using emetics or laxatives. These episodes of binge eating usually follow a psychologically stressful situation.
Food becomes a temporary fix for tension, just as do drugs for some people.
Bulimic persons are often ashamed of their bingeing and purging so, often, they try to fast and exercise. Bulimic patients often have depression, anxiety, and preoccupation with weight gain. They often score high on both novelty seeking and harm avoidance personality dimensions. They often have family history of mood disorder, substance abuse, obsessive-compulsive personality or disorder, and eating disorders. Paresthesia and major motor seizures are not infrequent.