Binge-eating
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Binge eating is a pattern of
disordered eating Disordered eating describes a variety of abnormal eating behaviors that, by themselves, do not warrant diagnosis of an eating disorder. Disordered eating includes behaviors that are common features of eating disorders, such as: * Chronic restra ...
which consists of episodes of uncontrollable eating. It is a common symptom of
eating disorder An eating disorder is a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating behaviors that adversely affect a person's health, physical or mental health, mental health. These behaviors may include eating too much food or too little food. Types of eatin ...
s such as
binge eating disorder Binge eating disorder (BED) is an eating disorder characterized by frequent and recurrent binge eating episodes with associated negative psychological and social problems, but without the compensatory behaviors common to bulimia nervosa, OSFE ...
and
bulimia nervosa Bulimia nervosa, also known simply as bulimia, is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating (eating large quantities of food in a short period of time, often feeling out of control) followed by compensatory behaviors, such as self-indu ...
. During such binges, a person rapidly consumes an excessive quantity of food. A
diagnosis Diagnosis (: diagnoses) is the identification of the nature and cause of a certain phenomenon. Diagnosis is used in a lot of different academic discipline, disciplines, with variations in the use of logic, analytics, and experience, to determine " ...
of binge eating is associated with feelings of loss of control. Binge eating disorder is also linked with being
overweight Being overweight is having more body fat than is optimally healthy. Being overweight is especially common where food supplies are plentiful and lifestyles are sedentary. , excess weight reached epidemic proportions globally, with more than ...
and
obesity Obesity is a medical condition, considered by multiple organizations to be a disease, in which excess Adipose tissue, body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it can potentially have negative effects on health. People are classifi ...
.


Diagnosis

The
DSM-5 The ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition'' (DSM-5), is the 2013 update to the '' Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'', the taxonomic and diagnostic tool published by the American Psychiat ...
includes a disorder diagnosis criterion for
Binge Eating Disorder Binge eating disorder (BED) is an eating disorder characterized by frequent and recurrent binge eating episodes with associated negative psychological and social problems, but without the compensatory behaviors common to bulimia nervosa, OSFE ...
(BED). It is as follows: * Recurrent and persistent episodes of binge eating * Binge eating episodes are associated with three (or more) of the following: ** Eating much more rapidly than normal ** Eating until feeling uncomfortably full ** Eating large amounts of food when not physically hungry ** Eating alone because of being embarrassed by how much one is eating ** Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or very guilty after overeating * Marked distress regarding binge eating * Absence of regular compensatory behaviors (such as purging)


Warning signs

Typical warning signs of binge eating disorder include the disappearance of a large quantity of food in a relatively short period of time. A person who may be experiencing binge eating disorder may appear to be uncomfortable when eating around others or in public. A person may develop new and extreme eating patterns that they have never done before. These might include diets that cut out certain food groups completely such as a no dairy or no carb diet. Binge eating can begin after a first attempt at dieting. They might also steal or hoard food in unusual places. A person may be experiencing fluctuations in their weight. In addition, they may have feelings of disgust, depression, or guilt about overeating. Another possible warning sign of binge eating is that a person may be obsessed with their body image or weight. Furthermore, patients who binge eat may also engage in other self-destructing behaviours like suicide attempts, drug use, shop-lifting, and drinking too much alcohol. The onset of binge eating without dieting is linked to a higher risk of mental health issues and a younger age of onset. BED patients can experience comorbid psychiatric instability.


Causes

There are no direct causes of binge eating; however, long-term dieting, psychological issues and an obsession with body image have been linked to binge eating. There are multiple factors that increase a person's risk of developing binge eating disorder. Family history could play a role if that person had a family member who was affected by binge eating. Said person may not have a supportive or friendly home environment, and they have a hard time expressing their problems with BED. Having a history of going on extreme diets may cause an urge to binge eat. Psychological issues such as feeling negatively about oneself or the way they look may trigger a binge. Weight stigma has also been found to predict binge eating, highlighting the importance of weight inclusive approaches to binge eating disorder that do not exercerbate this potential cause.


Health risks

There are several physical, emotional, and social health risks when associated with binge eating disorder. These risks include depression, anxiety, and heart disease. One study found that people with obesity who experience binge eating have a higher
body mass index Body mass index (BMI) is a value derived from the mass (Mass versus weight, weight) and height of a person. The BMI is defined as the human body weight, body mass divided by the square (algebra), square of the human height, body height, and is ...
, and higher levels of depression and stress than those who did not have with binge eating disorder Exposure to two major categories of risk factors—those that raise the risk for obesity and those that raise the risk for psychiatric disorders in general—can be associated with binge eating disorder.


Effects

Typically, the eating is done rapidly, and a person will feel emotionally numb and unable to stop eating. Most people who have eating binges try to hide this behavior from others, and often feel ashamed about being overweight or depressed about their overeating. Although people who do not have any
eating disorder An eating disorder is a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating behaviors that adversely affect a person's health, physical or mental health, mental health. These behaviors may include eating too much food or too little food. Types of eatin ...
may occasionally experience episodes of overeating, frequent binge eating is often a symptom of an eating disorder. BED is characterized by uncontrollable, excessive eating, followed by feelings of shame and guilt. Unlike those with
bulimia Bulimia nervosa, also known simply as bulimia, is an eating disorder characterized by binge eating (eating large quantities of food in a short period of time, often feeling out of control) followed by compensatory behaviors, such as self-induc ...
, those with BED symptoms typically do not purge their food,
fast Fast or FAST may refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Fast" (Juice Wrld song), 2019 * "Fast" (Luke Bryan song), 2016 * "Fast" (Sueco song), 2019 * "Fast" (GloToven song), 2019 * ''Fast'', an album by Custom, 2002 * ''Fast'', a 2010 short fil ...
, or excessively exercise to compensate for binges. Additionally, these individuals tend to diet more often, enroll in weight-control programs and have a history of family
obesity Obesity is a medical condition, considered by multiple organizations to be a disease, in which excess Adipose tissue, body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it can potentially have negative effects on health. People are classifi ...
. However, many who have bulimia also have binge-eating disorder. Along with the social and physical health that is affected when suffering from BED, there are psychiatric disorders that are often linked to BED. Some of them being but are not limited to: depression,
bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder (BD), previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of Depression (mood), depression and periods of abnormally elevated Mood (psychology), mood that each last from days to weeks, and in ...
,
anxiety disorder Anxiety disorders are a group of mental disorders characterized by significant and uncontrollable feelings of anxiety and fear such that a person's social, occupational, and personal functions are significantly impaired. Anxiety may cause phys ...
, substance abuse/use disorder.


Treatments

Current treatments for binge eating disorder mainly consist of psychological therapies, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), and Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT). A study conducted on the long term efficacy of psychological treatments for binge eating showed that both cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and group interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) effectively treat binge eating disorder, with 64.4% of patients completely recovering from binge eating.
Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate Lisdexamfetamine, sold under the brand names Vyvanse and Elvanse among others, is a stimulant medication that is used as a treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adults and for moderate-to-severe binge e ...
, also known as Vyvanse, is the only medication approved by the
Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...
(FDA) for the treatment of moderate-to-severe binge eating disorder in adults as of 2024. However, some studies have called into question its effectiveness for this indication.


History


APA DSM

The
American Psychiatric Association The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the largest psychiatric organization in the world. It has more than 39,200 members who are in ...
mentioned and listed binge eating under the listed criteria and features of bulimia in the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders The ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders'' (''DSM''; latest edition: ''DSM-5-TR'', published in March 2022) is a publication by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) for the classification of mental disorders using a com ...
(DSM) - 3 in 1987. By including binge eating in the DSM-3, even if not on its own as a separate eating disorder, they brought awareness to the disorder and gave it mental disorder legitimacy. This allowed for people to receive the appropriate treatment for binge eating and for their disorder to be legitimized.


Drug therapy

In January 2015, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (Vyvanse), the first medication indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe binge eating disorder.


Men with binge eating

Men with binge eating often face unique barriers to seeking treatment due to socio-cultural expectations surrounding
masculinity Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as Social construction of gender, socially constructed, and there i ...
. After men compare their bodies to the culturally constructed masculine ideals, they often develop heightened concerns about their own body image and internalize the belief that their bodies should be muscular, lean, and strong, developing unhealthy behaviors like binge eating or using
fad diets A fad diet is a diet that is popular, generally only for a short time, similar to fads in fashion, without being a standard scientific dietary recommendation, and often making unreasonable claims for fast weight loss or health improvements; ...
. Many men hesitate to reach out for help out of fear of appearing weak, 'less like a man' or even homosexual. The pervasive stereotype that eating disorders primarily affect women has contributed to feelings of shame and isolation among men who are affected by these disorders. This gender-based stigma surrounding eating disorders and strongly feminine branding of eating disorder treatment centers create a significant barrier to men's willingness to reach out for support. Men are more likely to partake in compulsive or excessive exercising as a compensation to highly calorific diets, leading to body dysmorphia.


See also

*
Binge drinking Binge drinking, or heavy episodic drinking, is drinking alcoholic beverages with an intention of becoming intoxicated by heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time, but definitions vary considerably. Binge drinking is a style of ...
*
Binge eating disorder Binge eating disorder (BED) is an eating disorder characterized by frequent and recurrent binge eating episodes with associated negative psychological and social problems, but without the compensatory behaviors common to bulimia nervosa, OSFE ...
* Cognitive behavioral treatment of eating disorders * Counterregulatory eating *
Overeating Overeating occurs when an individual consumes more calories than the energy that is expended via physical activity or expelled via excretion, or when they consume food past the point of satiation, often leading to weight gain and often obesity. O ...
*
Polyphagia Polyphagia, or hyperphagia, is an abnormally strong, wikt:incessant, incessant sensation of Hunger (physiology), hunger or desire to eat often leading to overeating. In contrast to an increase in appetite following exercise, polyphagia does not s ...
* Prader-Willi Syndrome


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Binge Eating Eating behaviors of humans Hyperalimentation Symptoms or signs involving eating and related behaviour de:Binge Eating