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Binge Eating
Disorder
Do You Suffer From
Binge Eating Disorder?
How To Tell.
How Common Is
Binge Eating Disorder?
Who Is at Risk?
What Causes Binge
Eating Disorder?
What Are the
Complications of Binge Eating Disorder?
Should People
With Binge Eating Disorder Try To Diet?
How Can People
With Binge Eating Disorder Be Helped?
For More Information
Additional Reading
How
Do You Know if You Have Binge Eating Disorder?
Most of us overeat from time to
time, and many people often feel they've eaten more than they should have.
Eating a lot of food does not always mean that a person has binge eating
disorder.
Doctors generally agree that most
people with serious binge eating problems often
-
feel their eating is out of control
-
eat what most people would think is
an unusually large amount of food
-
eat much more quickly than usual during
binge episodes
-
eat until so full they are uncomfortable
-
eat large amounts of food, even when
they are not really hungry
-
eat alone because they are embarrassed
about the amount of food they eat
-
feel disgusted, depressed, or guilty
after overeating.
Binge eating also takes place in another
eating disorder called bulimia nervosa. Persons with bulimia nervosa,
however, usually purge, fast, or do strenuous exercise after they binge
eat.
Purging means vomiting or
using a lot of diuretics (water pills) or laxatives to keep from gaining
weight.
Fasting is not eating for
at least 24 hours.
Strenuous exercise, in this
case, means exercising for more than an hour just to keep from gaining
weight after binge eating. Purging, fasting, and overexercising are dangerous
ways to try to control your weight.
How
Common Is Binge Eating Disorder, and Who Is at Risk?
Binge eating disorder is probably
the most common eating disorder. Most people with this problem are either
overweight or obese,* but normal-weight people also can have the disorder.
About 2 percent of all adults in
the United States (as many as 4 million Americans) have binge eating disorder.
About 10 to 15 percent of people who are mildly obese and who try to lose
weight on their own or through commercial weight-loss programs have binge
eating disorder. The disorder is even more common in people who are severely
obese.
Binge eating disorder is a little
more common in women than in men; three women for every two men have it.
The disorder affects blacks as often as whites. No one knows how often
it affects people in other ethnic groups.
People who are obese and have binge
eating disorder often became overweight at a younger age than those without
the disorder. They might also lose and gain back weight (yo-yo diet) more
often.
* The 1998 NIH Clinical Guidelines
on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity
in Adults define overweight as a body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 29.9
and obesity as a BMI of 30 or more. BMI is calculated by dividing weight
(in kilograms) by height (in meters) squared.
Check your BMI here
What
Causes Binge Eating Disorder?
No one knows for sure what causes
binge eating disorder. As many as half of all people with binge eating
disorder have been depressed in the past. Whether depression causes binge
eating disorder or whether binge eating disorder causes depression is not
known.
Many people who are binge eaters
say that being angry, sad, bored, or worried can cause them to binge eat.
Impulsive behavior (acting quickly without thinking) and certain other
emotional problems can be more common in people with binge eating disorder.
It is also unclear if dieting and
binge eating are related. Some studies show that about half of all people
with binge eating disorder had binge episodes before they started to diet.
Researchers also are looking into
how brain chemicals and metabolism (the way the body uses calories) affect
binge eating disorder. This research is still in the early stages.
What
Are the Complications of Binge Eating Disorder?
People with binge eating disorder
can get sick because they may not be getting the right nutrients. They
usually eat large amounts of fats and sugars, which don't have a lot of
vitamins or minerals.
People with binge eating disorder
are usually very upset by their binge eating and may become very depressed.
People who are obese and also have
binge eating disorder are at risk for
-
diabetes
-
high blood pressure
-
high blood cholesterol levels
-
gallbladder disease
-
heart disease
-
certain types of cancer.
Most people with binge eating disorder
have tried to control it on their own, but have not been able to control
it for very long. Some people miss work, school, or social activities to
binge eat. Persons who are obese with binge eating disorder often feel
bad about themselves and may avoid social gatherings.
Most people who binge eat, whether
they are obese or not, feel ashamed and try to hide their problem. Often
they become so good at hiding it that even close friends and family members
don't know they binge eat.
Should
People With Binge Eating Disorder Try To Diet?
People who are not overweight should
avoid dieting because it sometimes makes their binge eating worse. Dieting
here means skipping meals, not eating enough food each day, or avoiding
certain kinds of food (such as carbohydrates). These are unhealthy ways
to try to change your body shape and weight.
Many people with binge eating disorder
are obese and have health problems because of their weight. These people
should try to lose weight and keep it off. People with binge eating disorder
who are obese may find it harder to stay in a weight-loss program.
They also may lose less weight than
other people, and may regain weight more quickly. (This can be worse when
they also have problems like depression, trouble controlling their behavior,
and problems dealing with other people.) These people may need treatment
for binge eating disorder before they try to lose weight.
One of the most effective methods
for losing weight and keeping it off without drugs is this physician's
weight-loss system.
How
Can People With Binge Eating Disorder Be Helped?
People with binge eating disorder,
whether or not they want to lose weight, should get help from a health
professional such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or clinical social worker
for their eating behavior.
Even those who are not overweight
are usually upset by their binge eating, and treatment can help them. There
are several different ways to treat binge eating disorder.
Cognitive-behavioral
therapy teaches people how to keep track of their eating and change
their unhealthy eating habits.
It also teaches them how to change
the way they act in tough situations. Interpersonal psychotherapy
helps people look at their relationships with friends and family and make
changes in problem areas.
Drug therapy, such as antidepressants,
may be helpful for some people.
Researchers are still trying to find
the treatment that is the most helpful in controlling binge eating disorder.
The methods mentioned here seem to be equally helpful. For people who are
overweight, a weight-loss program that also offers treatment for eating
disorders might be the best choice.
If you think you might have binge
eating disorder, it's important to know that you are not alone. Most people
who have the disorder have tried but failed to control it on their own.
You may want to get professional help. Talk to your health care provider
about the type of help that may be best. The good news is that most people
do well in treatment and can overcome binge eating.
For
More Information
For more information, contact one
of the centers listed below.*
Eating Disorders Awareness and Prevention,
Inc.
603 Stewart Street, Suite 803
Seattle, WA 98101
Phone: (206) 382-3587 or 1-800-931-2237
Internet: www.edap.org
National Eating Disorders Organization
6655 South Yale Avenue
Tulsa, OK 74136
Phone: (918) 481-4044
Academy for Eating Disorders
6728 Old McLean Village Drive
McLean, VA 22101-3906
Email: aed@degnon.org
Internet: www.acadeatdis.org
The following programs are for
patients with binge eating disorder or compulsive overeating.
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