Neurology And Characterization Of Bulimia Nervosa As Mental Illness

Bulimia NervosaNameAcademic InstitutionCourse Number and NameInstructorDue DateBulimia NervosaBulimia nervosa is an eating disorder that involves binging and purging behavior, often characterized by eating multiple meals in a short time period and then intentionally vomiting, for the purpose of reducing or maintaining one’s weight (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Psychologically, bulimia nervosa is often accompanied with a distorted body image, which can make someone with a healthy body weight, or even someone who is already underweight, believe themselves to be overweight. Because the distortion is psychologically manifested, one may always perceive themselves as overweight regardless of actual body weight. To this end, bulimia nervosa can be life threatening if untreated, as extreme cases can escalate to severe malnourishment or even death. 1. Neurology and Characterization of Bulimia Nervosa as Mental IllnessNeurologically, current science has identified that persons struggling with eating disorders, including bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa, often have altered serotonin levels when compared with those without eating disorders (Frank et al., 2019). Serotonin functions as our internal reward system, which means it plays a role