Bulimia is the secretive cycle of binge eating followed by immediate purging, or vomiting.
Victims tend to eat a large amount of food in a short period of time - the binge element.
The person then gets rid of the food and its calories through vomiting, laxative abuse or over-exercising. They may appear to eat a lot, but bulimia-sufferers will throw it all up after each binge. Some studies say that impulsive women who drink and are prone to self harm, tend to be be bulimic, although Dr Lee Ee Lian, psychiatrist in charge of the Eating Disorder Clinic at the Institute of Mental Health, disagrees. She has seen stable women in stable careers fall into that trap. The sufferer is usually afraid of being overweight, and is very conscious of body-image issues.