This comprehensive review of the syndrome of bulimia outlines treatment modalities including response prevention, cognitive behavioral and group interventions, and antidepressant pharmacotherapy. The authors propose an etiologic model that synthesizes available data indicating that young women who are at risk for developing bulimia appear to have a biologic vulnerability to affective instability, have family environments that are conflicted and disorganized, and a variety of personality traits that result in low self-esteem and self-regulatory difficulties.