Binge Eating Disorder
While purging is not associated with this disorder, many of the frustrations that someone with Binge Eating Disorder faces are similar to those struggling with bulimia nervosa. Unwanted weight gain is often a symptom of the disorder. Many people live in a combination cycle of binging and starving, thus never quite meeting the criteria for anorexia nervosa but still doing serious damage to their physical and mental well-being.
Technical Criteria for Binge Eating Disorder
1-Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:
- eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat during a similar period of time and similar circumstances
- a sense of lack of control over eating during the episode (e.g. a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating
2- The binge eating episodes are associated with at least three of the following:
Eating until feeling uncomfortably full.
Eating much more rapidly than normal Eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry.
Eating alone because of being embarrassed by how much one is eating.
Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed or very guilty after overeating
3-Marked distress regarding binge eating.
4-The binge eating occurs, on average, at least 2 days a week for 6 months.
5- The binge eating is not associated with the regular use of inappropriate compensatory behaviors (e.g., purging, fasting, excessive exercise) and does not occur exclusively during the course of anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa.