How are depression and bulimia related?

The idea that bulimia may be related to affective illness was encouraged by early reports of a high prevalence of clinical depression in bulimic patients as well as a high lifetime prevalence of depression in the families of these patients. More recent evidence suggests, however, that bulimia and major depression are distinct entities. The authors review clinical data, family studies, pharmacotherapy, and the neurobiology of bulimia and discuss the nature of the relationship between depression and bulimia.