history of bulimia nervosa

8/17/2019 History of Bulimia Nervosa

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HISTORY OFBULIMIA NERVOSA


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ETYMOLOGY

The term bulimia comes from Greek“ravenous hunger”

Literally, the scientic

name of the disorder,bulimia nervosa,translate to “nervous

ravenous hunger”.


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BEFORE THE 20th CENTURY

Bulimia ner!"a #i# n!t a$$ear until %&'& (hereei#en)e "u**e"t" that +in*in* an# $ur*in* (ere$!$ular in )ertain an)ient )ulture",

The -r"t #!)umente# a))!unt !. +ehai!r re"em+lin*+ulimia ner!"a (a" re)!r#e# in /en!$h!n" Ana+a"i"ar!un# 1'0 B,C in (hi)h Gree3 "!l#ier" $ur*e#them"ele" in the m!untain" !. A"ia Min!r,

E*4$t5 $h4"i)ian" re)!mmen#e# $ur*in* !n)e a m!nth.!r three #a4" in !r#er t! $re"ere health, Thi" $ra)ti)e"temme# .r!m the +elie. that human #i"ea"e" (ere)au"e# +4 .!!# it"el.,

R!me5 elite "!)iet4 mem+er" (!ul# !mit in !r#er t!6ma3e r!!m7 in their "t!ma)h" .!r m!re .!!# at all #a4

+an8uet",

Em$er!r" Clau#iu" an# itelliu" +!th (ere *lutt!n!u"an# !+e"e an# the4 !.ten re"!rte# t! ha+itual $ur*in*,

9hile the $"4)h!l!*i)al #i"!r#er 6+ulimia ner!"a7 i"relatiel4 ne( the (!r# 6+ulimia7 "i*ni.4in* !ereatin*ha" +een $re"ent .!r )enturie",

The Ba+4l!n Talmu# re.eren)e# $ra)ti)e" !. 6+ulimia74et ")h!lar" +eliee that thi" "im$l4 re.erre# t!!ereatin* (ith!ut the $ur*in* !r the $"4)h!l!*i)alim$li)ati!n" +ulimia ner!"a,

In .a)t a "ear)h .!r ei#en)e !. +ulimia ner!"a .r!mthe %'th t! late %&th )entur4 reeale# that !nl4 a8uarter !. the !ereatin* )a"e" the4 e;amine# a)tuall4!mite# a.ter the +in*e", There (a" n! ei#en)e !.

#eli+erate !mitin* !r an attem$t t! )!ntr!l (ei*ht,


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20th CENTURYAt the turn of the century, bulimia (overeating

!as described as a clinical sym"tom, but rarely inthe conte#t of !eight control. %urging, ho!ever,!as seen in anore#ic "atients and attributed togastric "ain rather than another method of!eight control.

&n ')*, admissions of anore#ia nervosa "atientsto the +ayo linic from ''- to ' !ere

com"iled. /ifty0ve to si#ty0ve "ercent of these"atients !ere re"orted to be voluntarily vomitingin order to relieve !eight an#iety. 1ecords sho!that "urging for !eight control continuedthroughout the mid0'**s. 2everal case studiesfrom this era reveal "atients su3ering from themodern descri"tion of bulimia nervosa.

An e#"lanation for the increased instances ofbulimic sym"toms may be due to the *thcentury4s ne! ideals of thinness. The shame ofbeing fat emerged in the '5*s, !hen teasingremarks about !eight became more common. The'6*s, ho!ever, truly introduced the trend of anas"iration for thinness.

&n '7*, bulimia nervosa rst a""eared inthe 82+0&&&.

After its a""earance in the 82+0&&&, there !as asudden rise in the documented incidences ofbulimia nervosa. &n the early '7*s, incidences ofthe disorder rose to about 5* in every '**,***"eo"le. This decreased to about - in every

'**,*** "eo"le at the end of the '7*s9early'*s. :o!ever, bulimia nervosa4s "revalence

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THE EN

history of bulimia nervosa

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