Binge eating is eating an excessive amount of food in a brief period. Binge eating is distinguished from simple overeating by a loss of control. That is, in binge eating a person feels compelled to overeat or cannot stop eating once they have started. Binge eating is considered a disorder if it occurs at least once a week for three or more months. Binge eating followed regularly by behaviors to make up for overeating, such as self-induced vomiting, is diagnosed as bulimia nervosa.
Binge eating disorder (abbreviated BED) is the most common eating disorder in the United States. It affects about 3.5 percent of adult women, 2 percent of adult men, and 1.5 percent of adolescents. In women, BED most commonly occurs in early adulthood. In men, BED more commonly occurs in midlife. BED affects people of all genders, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and social and economic statuses.
Although most people with obesity do not have BED, as many as two-thirds of all people with BED have obesity. Medical complications associated with obesity include diabetes, heart problems, and joint pain.
Signs of binge eating include eating more rapidly than normal, eating until feeling uncomfortably full, eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry, eating alone, feeling embarrassed by how much one is eating, and feeling disgusted, depressed, or guilty after overeating. Individuals with BED frequently experience high levels of anxiety and depression.
The causes of BED are uncertain. However, experts think both genetic (inherited) and environmental factors contribute to the development of the disorder. BED is also associated with complex neurological and psychological factors. It is considered a brain-based disorder, like all other psychiatric disorders.
Full recovery from BED is possible. There are a number of evidence-based treatments for the disorder. Some BED patients benefit from cognitive-behavioral therapy. In this type of therapy, patients learn strategies to stop binge eating while establishing and maintaining a healthy body weight. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved using the medication lisdexamfetamine, marketed as Vyvanse, to treat BED.
See also Eating disorder.
