Bulimia is an eating disorder. If you have this disorder, you eat larger amounts of food than most people would eat in a short time, then you may purge by making yourself vomit or using laxatives. Purging is meant to make up for binging. You may also cut back on eating or exercise too much to make up for binging.

Most bulimics have a normal weight but feel they cannot control their eating. Some people swing back and forth between anorexia and bulimia. Anorexia is an eating problem that occurs when people are so afraid of becoming overweight that they eat as little as possible. They may starve to death.

Although the disorder can affect men, most people with bulimia are young women.
The exact cause of this disorder is not known. It may be related to problems with the chemicals in the brain that regulate mood and appetite.

If you have bulimia you may have a family history of bulimia or other eating disorders.  You may have a family or personal history of depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder.