Bulimia involves the consumption of huge amounts of food, followed by the purging behaviour of vomiting, laxative use, over exercising or all of these. Compulsive over eating involves continuous over eating and differs markedly from bulimia in that no purging behaviour is involved. Eating continues unsignalled by hunger or satisfaction. These disorders are not exclusive and often the purging of bulimia joins the starving behaviour of anorexia. Psychologically too, these disorders are similar.
Sufferers usually have low self-esteem and are obsessed with food.
Body image is usually distorted. Often there is perfectionistic thinking and often a history of stress, social pressures or psychological problems. There are also differences between these disorders. For each individual the cause of the eating disorder will be different. The overemphasis on the belief that thinness leads to happiness and success in our culture.