Bingeing

Binge Eating Disorder

By Alice Baland, MA, LPC, RD/LD

Binge eating has been described as part of the diagnostic criteria of bulimia nervosa, but is the central feature in binge eating disorder, which has surely existed as long as other primary eating disorders even without its own official DSM category.

To distinguish simple overeating from binge eating, as in distinguishing dieting from anorexia, we need to look at definition and degree. Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Edition, says the word binge can to applied to anything where there is “an unrestrained or excessive indulgence.” In binge eating disorder, the food is binged on in a discrete period of time with the individual reporting an inability to stop or to control the behavior. According to the book Overcoming Binge Eating, by Dr. Christopher Fairburn, one in five young women today report this experience with food.

Binge Eating Disorder (BED) was officially introduced in 1992 at an International Eating Disorders Conference. The term was developed to describe individuals who binge eat, but do not use extreme compensatory behaviors, such as fasting or purging to lose weight. In the past, these individuals were often referred to as compulsive overeaters, emotional overeaters, or food addicts. Many of these individuals suffer from debilitating patterns of eating for self-soothing rather than following physiological cues to eat. This non-hunger eating, when done on a regular basis, produces weight gain and even obesity. Physicians, dietitians, and other health professionals often focus on the individual’s overweight state without inquiring about possible eating disorder behaviors such as binge eating patterns or other forms of overeating done for the purposes of self-medicating.

More research is needed to prevent the ongoing inappropriate treatment of binge eating disorders with weight loss diets and exercise programs. These types of recommendations may exacerbate the eating disorder and tragically fail individuals needing more extensive help to recover.

Although the research is scarce, it suggests that approximately one-fifth of the people who present for the treatment of obesity meet the criteria for BED.

Statistics on Binge Eating Disorder

Since binge eating disorder is newly recognized, statistics are hard to come by. There are numerous studies on obesity, but not all binge eaters are overweight. Studies on binge eating disorders indicate that only somewhere around 50% of patients are overweight. In Overcoming Binge Eating, Dr. Christopher Fairburn reports that in obese individual, approximately 5-10% overall and 20-40% who participate in weight loss programs have binge eating habits. More research in this area will provide more insight. More research is also needed on the role gender plays in eating disorders.