Bulimia. A review of nutritional and health behaviors.

Nurses working with adolescents need an understanding of the clinical syndrome of bulimia in order to identify individuals at risk for this disorder and implement preventive and therapeutic interventions. The epidemiology, early precipitants, physiology, and biochemistry of bulimia nervosa are reviewed. From this integrated framework, implications for treatment are explored with an emphasis on holistic nursing care including health education.