Final answer:
Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by overeating followed by induced vomiting and other purging behaviors aimed at preventing weight gain. It is a serious health condition affecting both physical and mental well-being, requiring treatments that often involve counseling and medication.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term for a mental disturbance that leads to bouts of overeating followed by induced vomiting is called bulimia nervosa. Individuals with bulimia nervosa often experience episodes of eating an unusually large amount of food (binge eating) and then engage in behaviors to prevent weight gain such as self-induced vomiting.
It is distinct from anorexia nervosa, which is characterized by severe restriction of food intake and weight loss, and from binge eating disorder, which involves recurrent episodes of binge eating without subsequent purging behaviors. Effective treatments for bulimia nervosa typically include a combination of counseling and medication to address both the psychological and physical aspects of the illness.