Is bulimia a "progressive disease"?

I need legitimate answers, please. A friend of mine recently told me that she has an extremely low self-image and has seriously considered becoming bulimic. She is in her mid-teens, and she said that all this started about 1 1/2 years ago. At first, she only thought about it, for fear of becoming fat, but now she says she has recently tried to make herself throw up 2 times, but got too scared and stopped halfway into it. That's why I'm curious as to whether Bulimia is a "progressive disease," one that gets worse over time. First of all, could someone please define "progressive disease" for me? And then go into depth on the subject. Any thoughts, suggestions, or valuable information on Bulimia would be much appreciated.

i'm not kidding around here. if you can provide me with any information whatsoever, please do so. You should feel at least some sort of sense of obligation here, a human being is at risk, and so far only one person has cared enough to answer.

YES, bulimia is completely and entirely a progressive disease. I've never heard it called that, but it makes complete sense. Bulimia is all about control and is a way of dealing with psychological/emotional issues. People believe that the way they look is out of their control, so they try to control it. Likewise, this happens to people who have more severe issues, like dealing with divorce/depression/etc. They try to control something in a world of uncontrollable things, which is where they first find comfort in the world of bulimia. Quickly, though, it turns into an addiction - a psychological problem that gets to your head and takes over. Soon enough, it spins out of your control (you can't just give it up) and it becomes much more than a means of weight-control or an improvement of body-image. Also, bulimia makes you GAIN weight because you mess up your metabolism/digeston so badly. All bulimics know this, yet they can't stop because it's become a part of them. I can't even remember the last time i ate a normal meal and kept it down - that's how out of control it is for me. I suppose that's how I would define a progressive disease - that it gets worse and more uncontrollable as it progresses. If you can, talk to her about it or get help for her - she will be glad you did - I honestly wish my friends would intervene!

Yes it is a progressive means it keeps getting worse ,if she initially used to throw up everyday she would gradually increade it to 2ce etc and serious disease,the binge and purge cycle worsens because usually she wont get the result she requires.It also has a lot of complications ,it worsens self esteem,can causes serious dental problems,erosion of tooth enamel,Dental cavities, Stomach Ulcers. Ruptures of the stomach and esophagus
Dehydration
Irregular heartbeat and in severe cases heart attack
A greater risk for suicidal behavior.She requires urgent psychiatry evaluations