Getting to Know Binge Eating Disorder:
What is Binge Eating Disorder?
Binge eating disorder is characterized by recurring episodes of binge eating, feeling out of control while binging, and feeling guilt and shame afterward
(BECA). This disorder can lead to extreme unhealthy weight gain accompanied by illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or chronic heart disease. This exhausting and disruptive disease can affect women, men and adolescents of all races, cultures, or status.
What is a "Binge"?
A binge is the act of consuming great quantities of food in a certain amount of time. Depending on the person, a binge can last a few minutes or longer like over the period of a day. The amount and type of food consumed during a binge depends on the person as well. No matter what, after a so called, "binge," the victim is left feeling out of control and greatly ashamed for his or her actions.
During a binge a person may:
Between 10,000 to 20,000 calories can be consumed during a binge, compared to the healthy amount of calorie consumption of about 1,500 to 3,000 per day. People usually indulge in unhealthy foods such as candy, chips, cookies, and other high caloric foods. Engaging in a binge regularly puts people at serious risk of obesity and other dangerous side effects.
Other Characteristics of BED
Binge eating disorder is a "pattern of eating involving distress-inducing binges not followed by purging behaviors" (Durand 2006). It is a recently classified eating disorder according to the DSM-V. In the previous edition, DSM-IV, BED was in the appendix as a potential new disorder requiring further study. It declared the new disease would at least be categorized with other eating disorders, such as bulimia, if not its own official disorder.
According to a study published by Harvard, 1 in 35 adults binge, making it the most common eating disorder in America. (Brody 2007). People often encounter some sort of "trigger" when they have this disease. Certain triggers may be a traumatic event in one's life that may bring the disorder on, and then seeing an attractive food will trigger a binge. Stressful situations or times of depression can also trigger a random binge. Dr. Katherine Halmi, says that 10-15% of America's obese population has this disorder and of the people with BED, those who do not purge after, 90% are obese.
(BECA). This disorder can lead to extreme unhealthy weight gain accompanied by illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or chronic heart disease. This exhausting and disruptive disease can affect women, men and adolescents of all races, cultures, or status.
What is a "Binge"?
A binge is the act of consuming great quantities of food in a certain amount of time. Depending on the person, a binge can last a few minutes or longer like over the period of a day. The amount and type of food consumed during a binge depends on the person as well. No matter what, after a so called, "binge," the victim is left feeling out of control and greatly ashamed for his or her actions.
During a binge a person may:
- Eat much faster than normal
- Eat until feeling uncomfortably full
- Eat large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry
- Eat alone due to embarrassment of how much one is eating
- Feel like you can not control your appetite
- Become seemingly depressed and ashamed when the binge has subsided
Between 10,000 to 20,000 calories can be consumed during a binge, compared to the healthy amount of calorie consumption of about 1,500 to 3,000 per day. People usually indulge in unhealthy foods such as candy, chips, cookies, and other high caloric foods. Engaging in a binge regularly puts people at serious risk of obesity and other dangerous side effects.
Other Characteristics of BED
Binge eating disorder is a "pattern of eating involving distress-inducing binges not followed by purging behaviors" (Durand 2006). It is a recently classified eating disorder according to the DSM-V. In the previous edition, DSM-IV, BED was in the appendix as a potential new disorder requiring further study. It declared the new disease would at least be categorized with other eating disorders, such as bulimia, if not its own official disorder.
According to a study published by Harvard, 1 in 35 adults binge, making it the most common eating disorder in America. (Brody 2007). People often encounter some sort of "trigger" when they have this disease. Certain triggers may be a traumatic event in one's life that may bring the disorder on, and then seeing an attractive food will trigger a binge. Stressful situations or times of depression can also trigger a random binge. Dr. Katherine Halmi, says that 10-15% of America's obese population has this disorder and of the people with BED, those who do not purge after, 90% are obese.
How do we perceive binge eating?
When people see those who binge eat, they see someone with low self-esteem who use this as an escape from their insecurities. "Binge eaters suffer from high standards and expectations, especially an acute sensitivity to the difficult (perceived) demands of others. When they fall short of these standards, they develop an aversive pattern of high self-awareness, characterized by unflattering views of self and concern over how they are perceived by others. These aversive self-perceptions are accompanied by emotional distress, which often includes anxiety and depression. To escape from this unpleasant state, binge eaters attempt the cognitive response of narrowing attention to the immediate stimulus environment and avoiding broadly meaningful thought" (Heatherton & Baumeister 1991). Binge eating is a hard thing to recover from when there you feel constantly judged and degraded. This is why the majority of those with this disorder keep it a secret. The best thing one can do is to open up about their problem so they can seek help as soon as possible.