Binge Eating: What is Behind The Eating Disorder?

Many people suffer from eating disorders. Binge eating is one of the less known eating disorders. You can find out what is behind it here.

Introduction

• Binge eating is an eating disorder in which the affected person experiences uncontrolled eating attacks. The people suffer a loss of control and eat huge amounts of food, but these are not attacks of ravenous appetite. They often only stop when they feel real pain and discomfort.
• Binge eating is the most common eating disorder, but it is far less researched than bulimia. You can now find out when people start to suffer from the disorder and what the symptoms are.

Differentiation from bulimia and obesity

• Generally speaking, obesity is extreme overweight. Many people affected by binge-eating disorder suffer from overweight, but this is neither a prerequisite nor is it true for everyone. Some people also suffer from obesity due to chronic illness or other reasons, so it is not always associated with an eating disorder.
• Bulimia, on the other hand, mainly affects people who tend to be relatively slim and compare themselves to an unrealistic anorexia. As a result, the already low food intake is excreted by vomiting.

Binge Eating Symptoms: How to recognize the disorder

• Repeated eating fits
• People eat much faster than normal
• It is eaten alone out of shame
• Eating continues until an unpleasant feeling of fullness is reached
• After the disturbed eating behaviour, those affected feel embarrassed and ashamed (disturbance triggers suffering)
• In contrast to bulimia or another disorder, people affected do not carry out any activities (e.g. sports or vomiting) after the eating attacks to combat the obesity that often results.

Implications

Due to the extreme eating attacks, many sufferers suffer from severe overweight (about 40 percent). The binge-eating disorder is also partly responsible for other diseases due to the obesity it triggers:

• High blood pressure
• Problems with joints and spine
• Insomnia
• Arteriosclerosis
• Higher risk of heart attack or stroke

Causes of binge eating disorder

According to studies, there are two main factors that can be considered as causes of binge-eating disorder:

1. Mental vulnerability (e.g. through heredity or childhood events)
2. Overweight and obesity as a child

The two points are closely related, as people with mental health problems often also lose control of their eating behaviour. At the same time, being overweight has an effect on the psyche and can also cause a loss of control and a binge-eating disorder.

Stress and tension often serve as direct triggers for an overeating attack, which often occurs due to loneliness and a depressive mood.

Treatment

• Since the cause of a Bing Eating disorder can have both physical and psychological backgrounds, those affected should first consult their family doctor. If necessary, he or she can then bring a specialist clinic or psychiatrist on board to conduct tests to determine whether an eating addiction really exists and where it comes from.
• There are various therapeutic methods that can be used, for example cognitive behavioural therapy. This aims to restore healthy eating behaviour by means of precise documentation of the food and the associated feelings.

Reading tip: Everything about increased appetites you can find out here.