Binge eating disorder: Everything you need to know to deal with it

Binge eating disorder is a serious mental health condition that affects millions of people worldwide without even knowing.

It is characterized by frequent episodes of uncontrollable overeating, often followed by feelings of guilt and shame. I know you might already feel that you have a binge eating disorder but you have to keep reading to know everything in detail and how to deal with it:

What is the definition of binge eating disorder?

Binge eating disorder (BED) is a type of feeding disorder that’s now recognized as an official diagnosis for people with frequent consumption of unusually large amounts of food and feeling unable to stop eating.

Although most people occasionally overeat at some point, someone with such a condition does it more frequently and feel the urge that they have to eat huge amounts of food at a regular pace.

It affects almost 2% of people worldwide and can cause additional health issues linked to diets, such as high cholesterol levels and diabetes.

What are the signs and symptoms of binge eating?

The most obvious sign of binge eating disorder is obesity but it could happen to someone with normal weight.

Also, there are many behavioral and emotional signs and symptoms of the binge-eating disorder such as:

Eating tonnes of unhealthy food for a long duration (usually more than 2 hours)
Feeling that you can’t control how much you are eating
Eating even when you are not hungry
Eating rapidly during binge episodes
Eating to the point that you feel uncomfortably full
Doing it when you are alone or keeping it a secret from others
always feeling depressed, disgusted, ashamed, guilty, or upset about your eating
Frequently dieting, with no results and always falling off track

The severity of binge eating disorder is determined by how often episodes of bingeing occur during a week.

Do I have a binge eating disorder?

Having more than one of the signs and symptoms mentioned above could be a good indication that you have a binge eating disorder without knowing it. you should seek medical care as soon as possible!

What are the causes of it?

The main cause of binge eating is not clear yet but it could be caused by a variety of risk factors, including:

Genetics. People with BED may have increased sensitivity to dopamine (a chemical that makes you feel happy). also, there is strong evidence that it’s inherited.
Sex. BED is more common in women than in men. In the US, 3.6% of women have binge eating disorder, compared to 2% of men. This may be due to underlying biological factors.
Brain alterations. There are indications that people with BED may have changes in brain structure that result in a heightened good response to food and less self-control to stop.
Body weight. Almost 50% of people with BED have obesity and seek weight loss surgery. obesity can be both, cause and symptom.
Body image. People with binge eating disorder often have a very negative body image. Body dissatisfaction, dieting, and overeating contribute to the development of the disorder.
History of binge eating. Those affected often report a history of binge eating as the first symptom of the disorder. This includes binge eating in childhood and the teenage years.
Emotional trauma. Stressful life events, such as abuse, death, separation from a family member, or a car accident, are risk factors. Childhood bullying due to weight may also contribute.
Other psychological conditions. Almost 80% of people with BED have at least one other psychological disorder, such as phobias, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, anxiety, or substance abuse.

One or more of these factors could be the cause of binge eating disorder, you need to consult a doctor to be accurately diagnosed.

Who is prone to binge eating disorder?

A typical person with BED would be young (middle-aged), obese, with type 1 or 2 diabetes and a family history of binge eating. an average-weight or older person can have it too but it’s less common.

For some people, painful childhood experiences such as family problems and critical comments about your shape, weight, or eating habits are linked to developing a binge eating disorder.

Do I need help from a doctor to diagnose and deal with a binge eating disorder?

While some people may occasionally overeat, such as at Thanksgiving or a birthday party, it does not mean they have BED, despite having experienced some of the symptoms listed above.

To be diagnosed, a person must have had at least one binge eating episode per week for a minimum of three months.

Another important characteristic is not taking action to stop BED. This means you do nothing in terms of dieting or exercise. you just ignore the condition and keep doing it.

The severity ranges from mild, which is characterized by one to three binge eating episodes per week, to extreme, which is characterized by 14 or more episodes per week.

If you reached this point, you should visit a doctor.

Your doctor provider may recommend a psychological evaluation, including a discussion of your eating habits.

a specialist also may want you to have other tests to check for health consequences of binge-eating disorder, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, GERD and some sleep-related breathing disorders. These tests may include:

A physical exam
Blood and urine tests
A sleep disorder center consultation

After being diagnosed, your doctor may recommend one or more of the following treatment options.

What are the treatment options for binge eating?

The goal of binge eating treatment is two things, the first one is reducing the BED episodes as much as possible. the second one is treating any psychological symptoms such as shame, poor self-image, depression and other negative emotions.

Here are the available treatments that may be recommended by your doctor:

1- Psychotherapy options

Psychotherapy options recommended by your doctor may include cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, and dialectical behavior therapy. Each one of these can be carried out on a one-to-one basis, in a group setting, or in a self-help format.

Here is a brief overview of them:

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on identifying the negative feelings and behaviors that cause binge eating and helps put strategies in place to improve them.

Therapist-led CBT has been demonstrated to be the most effective treatment for people with BED.

One study found that after 20 sessions of CBT, 79% of participants were no longer binge eating, with 59% of them still successful after one year.

Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT)

Interpersonal psychotherapy views binge eating as a coping mechanism for underlying personal problems. It addresses binge eating behaviors by acknowledging and treating those underlying problems.

There is strong evidence that this type of therapy has both short- and long-term positive effects on reducing binge eating behavior. It is the only other therapy with long-term outcomes as good as CBT

Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)

Dialectical behavior therapy sees binge eating as a response to negative experiences in daily life. It uses techniques like mindfulness and the regulation of emotions to help people cope better and stop binging. It is unclear if it is effective in the long term.

A study including 44 women with BED who underwent DBT showed that 89% of them stopped binge eating by the end of therapy, although this dropped to 56% by the 6-month follow-up.

2- Following a sustainable weight loss plan

Going for an extreme starvation diet is not the goal here. actually, it might be the cause of binge eating in the first place.

The plan is to make gradual healthy lifestyle changes in regard to diet and exercise, as well as monitor food intake and thoughts about food throughout the day. A weight loss program with about 1 pound (0.5 kg) loss per week is safe and recommended.

Also, adding some foods that you love in a controlled manner and avoiding what triggers your binge eating will help you stay on track.

3-Medications

medications are used when the previous options are not effective or not enough in certain cases.

Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (Vyvanse)

It is a drug for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and it is the first FDA-approved medication to treat moderate to severe binge-eating disorder in adults.

Vyvanse can be habit-forming and abused. Common side effects include a dry mouth and insomnia, but more-serious side effects can occur.

Topiramate (Topamax),

It’s an anticonvulsant normally used to control seizures but it has also been found to reduce binge-eating episodes.

However, there are side effects, such as dizziness, nervousness, sleepiness, and trouble concentrating.

Antidepressants

Antidepressants may reduce binge eating. It’s not clear how these can reduce binge eating, but it may relate to how they affect certain brain chemicals associated with mood.

While these medications can be helpful in controlling binge-eating episodes, they may not have much impact on weight reduction.

4-Lifestyle modifications

To have a complete and effective treatment plan for BED, you need to take some self-care steps along with the professional medical help that you get. here is what you have to do:

Stick to your treatment plan. Don’t skip therapy sessions. If you have a meal plan, do your best to stick to it, and don’t let setbacks derail your overall efforts.
Eat breakfast. Many people with binge-eating disorder skip breakfast. But, if you eat breakfast, you may be less prone to eating higher calorie meals later in the day.
Remove binge eating trigger foods. Keep tempting binge foods out of your home or limit your exposure to those foods as best you can.
Get the right nutrients. eating tonnes of food during a binge eating episode doesn’t give you the right nutrients that you need to stay healthy. Follow a healthy meal plan
Stay sociable. stay close to your friends and family and attend any social gathering as much as you can to stay away from depression that leads to binge eating.
Be active. participate in any physical activity that you like such as walking or weight training.
Avoid weight loss supplements. Most dietary supplements and herbal products designed to suppress the appetite or aid in weight loss are ineffective and may be misused by people with eating disorders.
Ease up on yourself. Don’t buy into your own self-criticism.

If you have a binge-eating disorder, do something about it! whether you choose to see a doctor or ask your family for help. anything is a step toward getting out of this lobe of overeating and gaining more weight.