What is the cause of the bulimia nervosa?
The cause of bulimia nervosa is essentially unknown. In some cases an early trauma will be present, in other cases trauma is absent and the behaviour is copied by observing others. Factors in the patient’s home and social environment are thought to be important, these include cultural pressures for women in the West to maintain an unnaturally slender body weight. Despite this, most people with bulimia nervosa tend to maintain a normal body weight. Patients with bulimia nervosa often have low self-esteem and a negative self-image.
