How to Meet the DSM Criteria for Bulimia
The Diagnostic and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) gives a list of symptoms and features of many disorders, including eating disorders like bulimia. There are a few requirements that a patient must meet for the DSM criteria of bulimia.
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Instructions
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Meet the DSM Criteria for Bulimia
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See if the patient's eating habits meet the DSM criteria for binge eating. A patient must consume a significantly larger portion of food during a specified time period (for example, 1 hour) than is generally accepted for a person of similar age and build. Also, the patient must exhibit a lack of self control during these eating periods and continue to eat even once he is full.
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2
Find out the frequency of the patient's binge eating and purging behavior. In order to meet the DSM criteria for bulimia, the patient must exhibit these behaviors at least twice a week for 2 to 3 months.
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3
Rule out the possibility that the patient only shows some symptoms of bulimia during a bout of anorexia. Review the DSM criteria for anorexia to see if this diagnosis is more suited for the patient.
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Talk to the patient about the underlying reasons for her behavior. DSM criteria for bulimia specifies that the patient must think that her body size, shape and weight can be controlled by bulimic behavior.
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Classify the patient's behaviors as purging or non-purging. Purging includes self-induced vomiting and the use of laxatives and diuretics to speed the body's metabolism and gastrointestinal track. Non-purging bulimic patients may fast or use excessive exercise to work off what they believe to be excessive weight.
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Tips & Warnings
The official DSM name of the condition of a patient who meets all the requirements of this eating disorder is Bulimia Nervosa.
The bulimia criteria for a patient can change from one month to the next. For example, a patient may switch from non-purging to purging methods.
Patients with purging-type bulimia are much more likely to have problems associated with the body's fluid levels, kidneys and thyroid gland. A full medical evaluation is generally needed to assess the overall condition of the patient.
If a patient has all symptoms of bulimia but does not binge eat at least twice a week, then the condition should be classified as an Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.
Even if a patient meets only a few of the requirements for DSM-defined bulimia, he can still have a life-threatening eating disorder.
