Bulimia Nervosa and Dissatisfaction of Adolescent’s Body Shape

Abstract

Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder that affects young people and causes serious damage to life quality and death in extreme cases (Affenito & Kerstetter, 1999;Cordás, 2004;Costa et al., 2008;Gucciardi et al., 2004). Since most people with the disorder have normal weight, the diagnosis of bulimia nervosa becomes a highly complex issue (Kaufman, 2000). The etiology of bulimia nervosa has yet to be understood. However, low self-esteem, depression, social pressure on keeping oneself slim and a dissatisfaction with the body shape are factors that may be associated with the bulimia nervosa event, especially in the case of adolescents and female young adults (