[Bulimic behaviors. Clinical, biochemical, pharmacologic data]

Bulimia nervosa has been recently identified. DSM III-R gives more restrictive criteria for the trouble than DSM III. One may doubt it allows to better understand the probable psychopathological heterogeneity of this eating disorder. Biological indexes up to now only led to partial results. Their interpretation is made more difficult because of the small size of the samples of patients, studied in conditions which are often ill-defined. The biological parameters which are investigated are similar to those studied in depression: monoamines, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis, hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, Growth Hormone, prolactin , melatonin, beta-endorphin, EEG mapping. Antidepressants and anticonvulsants remain the most often mentioned drugs. Tryptophane, lithium, opiate antagonists, amphetamines, serotoninergic drugs are currently being studied.