Which term best describes an emotional disorder involving distortion of body image and an obsessive desire to lose weight, with bouts of extreme overeating followed by depression and self-induced vomiting, purging, or fasting?

• A. Anorexia
• B. Bulimia
• C. Anxiety
• D. PTSD

Answer: (B)

This item tests understanding of eating disorders and how patterns of eating and concerns about body image distinguish them. The description points to bulimia nervosa: a pattern in which individuals binge on large amounts of food in a short period and feel a loss of control during these episodes, followed by compensatory behaviors to prevent weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting, purging, fasting, or laxative or diuretic use. The emphasis on distortion of body image and an obsessive desire to be thinner fits bulimia, especially when paired with repeated bingeing and purging or fasting cycles.

Anorexia nervosa, by contrast, centers more on severe restriction of intake and fear of gaining weight, often with very low body weight. Anxiety and PTSD are not eating-disorder patterns, so they don’t describe the cycle of bingeing and compensatory behaviors tied to body-image concerns.