Binge Eating Disorder
The Official Diagnosis Is Eating
Disorder NOS (Not Otherwise Specified)
At this time, Binge Eating Disorder is not an officially-named diagnosis,
but it is proposed as a new diagnosis for the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders. As it stands, the proposed criteria
for Binge Eating Disorder is as follows... Binge Eating Disorder
is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge
eating, associated with feelings of loss of control over and significant
distress about binge eating. Often food is eaten rapidly and to
the point where a person feels uncomfortably full. Often the binge
eating is done when the person is alone. A person with binge eating
disorder often feels disgusted with him or herself after a binge
eating episode. Despite the significant distress caused by the behaviors,
they don't feel able to stop the bingeing.
With Binge Eating Disorder there is no regular use of inappropriate
behaviors to try to prevent weight gain or to compensate for the
amount of food eaten. (No behaviors such as self-induced vomiting,
laxative abuse, excessive exercise or fasting.)
Often there is clinical depression present. Mental health professionals
often see impulse control and obsessive-compulsive problems as well.
Medical complications associated with binge eating may be digestion
and/or obesity related. Those may include problems with high blood
pressure, diabetes, breathing, the gallbladder, the pancreas, the
heart, circulation, skin ruptures and joints.
What Percentage of People Who
are Treated for "Obesity" Actually
Have a Binge Eating Disorder?
Further study is needed, but it's estimated that at least 25% of those who
seek treatment for obesity have significant problems with recurrent
binge eating and may have a Binge Eating Disorder. It appears to
be an equal opportunity disorder, affecting men and women of all
ages and ethnic backgrounds..One study suggests that for every five
women who have a binge eating disorder there is one man who is suffering
as well. With anorexia and bulimia the ratio is about 8 or 9 women
to every one man. (Some say that those numbers are a bit skewed
by the fact that women are more likely to acknowledge a problem
such as this and to seek help.)
How Do You Define "Binge Eating"?
Several
questions still remain to be answered about the specifics of Binge
Eating Disorder. (That's why it's not yet included as an official
diagnosis, but instead included under the diagnosis of Eating Disorder;
Not Otherwise Specified). We still need to define "binge eating."
Does it qualify as "binge eating" only if someone eats
a large amount of food in a two hour period of time…or would
a person qualify for a binge eating disorder if they regularly ate
small amounts of food all day long (we call that grazing)? What
if a person turns to food every single time they have an emotional
need?
At the Acoria Center, we see a great variety of binge eating patterns.
In an effort to learn more about binge eating behavior, we are currently
participating in and coauthoring a new study about Binge Eating
Behaviors. For more information about that study, see Binge Eating
Scale Self-test).
Learn More About Binge Eating Disorder treatment in Ending
The Cycle of Binge Eating, Our Services for emotional overeating and Resources
