Behind the binge: Understanding binge eating disorder
07-02-2023
You may think that eating disorders have nothing to do with mental wellness. In actual fact, eating disorders are serious mental illnesses that can have significant impacts on all aspects of a person’s life – physical, emotional, and social. There are a number of eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder (BED).
What is BED?
Binge Eating Disorder is characterised by regular episodes of binge eating. Binge eating involves eating an excessive amount of food, rapidly, in a short period of time. These episodes can feel uncontrollable, chaotic, and highly distressing.
A person suffering from this disorder may not be hungry, but may continue to eat even if uncomfortably full, feeling as though they are unable to stop. It is common for people to binge eat alone or in secret, and experience intense feelings of shame, guilt, disgust, or low mood after a binge.
BED is a serious mental illness that affects people of all ages, gender, and backgrounds. In fact, research has shown that it affects men and women equally. It is often linked with high levels of distress, and can be a coping mechanism when dealing with difficult emotions.
Warning signs - symptoms of BED
There are a number of signs and symptoms that suggest someone might have binge eating disorder and needs to seek help. Ongoing binge eating can lead to numerous medical and psychological consequences.
Behavioural and emotional signs
Physical signs
Psychological signs
Causes and risk factors
The reasons for developing BED will differ from person to person. Some known causes for eating disorders include genetics, biological factors, and a combination of environmental, social, and cultural considerations.
Long-term dieting may be a factor in developing an eating disorder. Many people with BED have a history of dieting – dieting or restricting calories during the day may trigger an urge to binge eat, especially if the person has symptoms of depression.
Negative self-perception and negative thoughts about one’s skills and accomplishments may also trigger binging, as may unmet needs, whether they are emotional, psychological, social, professional, spiritual, physical or pleasure.
How is a binge different to overeating?
Overeating is part of being human – we can naturally overeat in a number of social settings, such as special occasion lunches or dinners, or while at home having a movie night. Overeating is when one eats past the point of being comfortably full.
A binge, on the other hand, is an intense drive to overeat which is experienced again and again over time, followed by feelings of guilt and shame – over the amount of food eaten and the way in which the food is eaten. It can also feel uncontrollable. Binge eating is highly distressing and can affect a person’s ability to fully engage in aspects of life, such as work or school, recreational activities, socialising and relationships.
Similarities with bulimia nervosa
There are similarities between BED and bulimia, but they are not the same. People with bulimia will engage in what is called compensatory activities after a binge eating episode. These include self-induced vomiting, fasting, over-exercising and/or misuse of laxatives or diuretics. People with BED do not engage in such activities, despite experiencing similar feelings of intense shame, guilt, and self-hatred after an episode.
Like people with bulimia, there may be a strong desire to “make-up” for the binge by being “good”, “healthy” or punishing oneself. This can lead to restrictive eating by then dieting or fasting after a binge.
Treatment options
Treatment for binge eating disorder needs to address both physical and mental health. The goals for treatment of BED are to reduce binge eating and to support the person to eat regular meals. Addressing other related emotional factors such as anxiety, depression, and self-esteem are also important.
One can recover from an eating disorder by visiting a medical practitioner, such as a GP, and a mental health professional, such as a psychologist or psychotherapist.
Prevention is always better than a cure, so fostering body positivity and ensuring emotional needs are met, will minimise the possibility of developing BED.
Start your online therapy journey
It is never advised to “wait and see”. If you or someone you know may be experiencing an eating disorder, seeking help and treatment immediately is extremely important. areeka web provides access to a range of therapists experienced in dealing with eating disorders. Do not wait until it is too late.
Start now
If you're interested in this topic, you might like to watch our short video What does binge eating mean?
What is BED?
Binge Eating Disorder is characterised by regular episodes of binge eating. Binge eating involves eating an excessive amount of food, rapidly, in a short period of time. These episodes can feel uncontrollable, chaotic, and highly distressing.
A person suffering from this disorder may not be hungry, but may continue to eat even if uncomfortably full, feeling as though they are unable to stop. It is common for people to binge eat alone or in secret, and experience intense feelings of shame, guilt, disgust, or low mood after a binge.
BED is a serious mental illness that affects people of all ages, gender, and backgrounds. In fact, research has shown that it affects men and women equally. It is often linked with high levels of distress, and can be a coping mechanism when dealing with difficult emotions.
Warning signs - symptoms of BED
There are a number of signs and symptoms that suggest someone might have binge eating disorder and needs to seek help. Ongoing binge eating can lead to numerous medical and psychological consequences.
Behavioural and emotional signs
- Eating unusually large amounts of food in a short amount of time or over a specific amount of time, such as over a two-hour period;
- Feeling an overwhelming lack of control regarding eating behaviour;
- Eating even when full or not physically hungry;
- Eating rapidly during binge episodes;
- Unpredictable eating patterns;
- Frequently eating alone or in secret;
- Feeling out of control around food;
- Impulsive or continuous eating to the point of feeling uncomfortably ill;
- Compulsively eating whatever food is available, regardless of how enjoyable it is;
- Eating “normal” quantities in social settings, and binging when alone;
- Feeling depressed, disgusted, ashamed, guilty, or upset about the binge;
- Low self-esteem and embarrassment over physical appearance;
- Increased isolation and withdrawal from activities previously enjoyed;
- Avoiding social situations or becoming more socially withdrawn;
- Spending large amounts of money on food;
- Frequently dieting, possibly without losing weight;
- Depression and/or anxiety.
Physical signs
- Troubled sleep;
- Fluctuating weight or weight gain;
- Developing intolerances to food;
- Preoccupation with food and weight;
- Erosion of dental enamel, bad breath, gum disease, tooth decay;
- Chronic sore throat, indigestion, heartburn, reflux;
- Irregular or slow heartbeat, low blood pressure, fainting, dizziness, cardiac arrest;
- Ulcers, stomach rupture, bowel problems, constipation, diarrhea, cramps, bloating;
- Irregular or absent periods, loss of libido, infertility;
- Muscle fatigue, feeling tired, lethargy;
- Dry skin, calluses;
- Dehydration.
Psychological signs
- Preoccupation with eating, food, body shape and weight;
- Extreme body dissatisfaction and shame about appearance;
- Increased sensitivity to comments relating to food, weight, body shape, exercise;
- Depression, anxiety, sadness, self-harm behaviour, or suicidal thoughts;
- Low self-esteem.
Causes and risk factors
The reasons for developing BED will differ from person to person. Some known causes for eating disorders include genetics, biological factors, and a combination of environmental, social, and cultural considerations.
Long-term dieting may be a factor in developing an eating disorder. Many people with BED have a history of dieting – dieting or restricting calories during the day may trigger an urge to binge eat, especially if the person has symptoms of depression.
Negative self-perception and negative thoughts about one’s skills and accomplishments may also trigger binging, as may unmet needs, whether they are emotional, psychological, social, professional, spiritual, physical or pleasure.
How is a binge different to overeating?
Overeating is part of being human – we can naturally overeat in a number of social settings, such as special occasion lunches or dinners, or while at home having a movie night. Overeating is when one eats past the point of being comfortably full.
A binge, on the other hand, is an intense drive to overeat which is experienced again and again over time, followed by feelings of guilt and shame – over the amount of food eaten and the way in which the food is eaten. It can also feel uncontrollable. Binge eating is highly distressing and can affect a person’s ability to fully engage in aspects of life, such as work or school, recreational activities, socialising and relationships.
Similarities with bulimia nervosa
There are similarities between BED and bulimia, but they are not the same. People with bulimia will engage in what is called compensatory activities after a binge eating episode. These include self-induced vomiting, fasting, over-exercising and/or misuse of laxatives or diuretics. People with BED do not engage in such activities, despite experiencing similar feelings of intense shame, guilt, and self-hatred after an episode.
Like people with bulimia, there may be a strong desire to “make-up” for the binge by being “good”, “healthy” or punishing oneself. This can lead to restrictive eating by then dieting or fasting after a binge.
Treatment options
Treatment for binge eating disorder needs to address both physical and mental health. The goals for treatment of BED are to reduce binge eating and to support the person to eat regular meals. Addressing other related emotional factors such as anxiety, depression, and self-esteem are also important.
One can recover from an eating disorder by visiting a medical practitioner, such as a GP, and a mental health professional, such as a psychologist or psychotherapist.
Prevention is always better than a cure, so fostering body positivity and ensuring emotional needs are met, will minimise the possibility of developing BED.
Start your online therapy journey
It is never advised to “wait and see”. If you or someone you know may be experiencing an eating disorder, seeking help and treatment immediately is extremely important. areeka web provides access to a range of therapists experienced in dealing with eating disorders. Do not wait until it is too late.
Start now
If you're interested in this topic, you might like to watch our short video What does binge eating mean?
