ABSTRACT
Eating disorders have become a significant problem in the Western world and have attracted the interest of many sectors of our society. This interest stems, in part, from what appears to be a high prevalence of bulimia nervosa and related behaviors. Whereas prevalence estimates of bulimia nervosa have ranged as high as 21.6% (Pertschuk, Collins, Kreisberg, & Fager, 1986), our own research indicated a prevalence of 2% and 3.8% in two populations of college women (Thelen, McLaughlin-Mann, Pruitt, & Smith, 1987). Prevalence estimates in the general population of females have ranged from 1 % (Hart & Ollendick, 1985) to 10.7% (Pope, Hudson, & Yurgelun-Todd, 1984). Even if one takes the most conservative estimates of the prevalence of bulimia nervosa, it is still clear that this eating disorder is a significant problem that warrants our attention.
