Bisexual
Someone who is bisexual is attracted, romantically or sexually to more than one gender. Bisexuality can be, but is not necessarily, distinct from biromanticism, or the romantic attraction to more than one gender. Many bisexual people are both bisexual and biromantic, and use the term “bisexual” as an umbrella term for both.
Contrary to popular belief, bisexuality is not just the attraction to both men and women. Many bisexuals conceptualize the identity to mean being attracted to two or more genders. This means that bisexuals can also be attracted to anyone of any gender identity depending on their personal preference. In practice, some bisexuals also identify as pansexual (having the capacity to be attracted to people regardless of gender) as the identities naturally allow for overlap.
Borderline Personality Disorder
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a mental illness that impacts how people view themselves and others, which can cause issues with regulating emotions. It involves intense emotional mood swings, impulsive decision-making, and unhealthy self-conception. People with BPD may have self-esteem issues and a fear of abandonment, which may cause them to struggle with maintaining healthy relationships. This may lead to a pattern of frequent, unhealthy relationships caused by the aversion to abandonment.
Symptoms of BPD will most likely manifest in early adulthood, beginning with high intensity mood swings that diminish with age. There are various genetic and environmental risk factors for BPD, such as having a family member with the disorder or experiencing traumatic events as a child. However, there are no definitive causes for BPD, and the presence of these risk factors do not guarantee the development of the disorder.
Bottom Surgery
Bottom surgery is a type of gender-affirming surgery that augments the shape and function of the genitals. Bottom surgery is often requested by transgender people to align their bodies with their gender identities. It can also be requested as a medical procedure to reconstruct damaged genitals using surrounding tissue.
There are many types of bottom surgeries, but three are most often referred to: vaginoplasty for people assigned-male-at-birth (AMAB) and metoidioplasty or phalloplasty for people assigned-female-at-birth (AFAB). Vaginoplasty involves the construction of a vagina by repurposing existing penile tissue. Metoidoplasty is the freeing of the clitoris from surrounding tissue to create a penis, and phalloplasty is the construction of a penis from skin grafts taken from other parts of the body, like the arms or thighs.
Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder which involves extreme sessions of overeating, or binging, followed by purposeful expulsion to avoid gaining weight, or purging. People with bulimia often feel shame and disgust towards their binge eating habits, leading to them hiding their binges from others. On top of this, many people with bulimia maintain a normal body weight, which makes it difficult to notice the disorder in others. The disorder also affects how someone views their own body, causing them to justify their own purging.
There are two types of bulimia nervosa: purging and non-purging. Purging can include vomiting, laxative overuse, or any other methods of forcibly removing food from one’s body. Non-purging bulimia involves fasting or excessive exercise for the sake of weight loss. Pushing past one’s physical limits in this manner can be very dangerous as it can lead to dizziness, fainting, nausea and even heart failure. Seeking treatment for bulimia is recommended, as both types are potentially life-threatening.