Allan Gelibter, a research psychologist who treats eating disorders at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital, says he considers it a step in the right direction when an anorexic becomes bulimic.

"To me, it’s an improvement because they’re letting themselves eat," says Gelibter. "They’re taking themselves out of the danger zone."

Binge eating, the essential feature of bulimia nervosa, may date back 2,000 years. Hunger in ancient Greek was "limos" and the prefix "bou" was added to denote "ravenous hunger." In the 1700s, medical authorities added "eating with a lack of control and without digestion in short intervals" to give bulimia its present definition.

The bulimic, who also experiences intense fears of gaining weight, binges on large amounts of previously "forbidden" foods in an uncontrollable manner and then induces vomiting. She may put a finger down her throat to force herself to throw up, exercise excessively or use laxatives. The vomiting tears the lining of the throat and stomach. After the act, the bulimic often experiences self-loathing.

"And when you binge, it is especially traumatic to someone who has been anorexic; there is enormous guilt," says Mysko.