Comments on: What is the difference between binge/purge type anorexia, and bulimia?

By: veritasfree

veritasfree — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:17:59 +0000

AN b/p type aka AN subtype II is diagnosed instead of bulimia when the individual’s weight falls below a certain level (bmi 17.5, or 85% or less ideal body weight – doctors differ on which criteria they use as the DSM specifies both, sorta).

Someone with AN-b/p may binge and purge (ie, "like bulimia") or just purge wihout bingeing.

But the PRIMARY and ONLY difference between the two diagnoses: Weight, as well as fitting the other dx criteria for Anorexia Nervosa, which is loss of menses of 3+ months. So when someone fits dx criteria for AN but they b/p, they are dx as that instead of BN. Make sense?? One cannot have 2 simultaneous diagnoses, so that’s why the DSM was adapted to include the b/p subtype of anorexia nervosa.
References :
Personal experience

By: Everyone and No One

Everyone and No One — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:37:59 +0000

A binge/purge anorexic tends to restrict most of the time, but will occasionally binge with they will follow with a purge.

Bulimics can eat normally, but have a pattern of binge eating then purging.

Basically what separates the two is what type of eating (or lack there of) they do a majority of the time.
References :
Past experience

By: atari988

atari988 — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:21:59 +0000

The restrictive type is where someone will not eat anything. They just limit their food intake and starve themselves.
The binge/purge type is where someone binges, or has a field day and eat whatever they want, only to force themselves to puke it out immediately after gorging on food.
References :
psych. major, research