MODEL RELEASED. Female eating disorder. Young woman in a locked room, craves chocolates. She is alone and overeating when no one can detect her. The cause may be bulimia, an illness in young women characterized by overeating in private, usually followed by self-induced vomiting or using laxative drugs. The sufferer has a morbid fear of becoming fat, yet cannot stop herself eating. Often the patient has had anorexia nervosa, becom- ing thin through dieting and then developing a craving for food. Women with bulimia may be of normal weight, but suffer compulsive behaviour regarding food. Treatment may involve supervision of their eating habits and psychotherapy.