The Binge Eating Disorder

Although the term of "binge eating" is usually referred to when talking about other eating disorders such as bulimia, it actually stands as an eating disorder of its own. Despite this fact, it is usually considered a milder form of bulimia, or a springboard towards this more complex eating disorder. The scientific world is split in half over this subject, as many doctors and psychologists tend to consider binge eating as a separate eating disorder, whereas the other half ties it to bulimia with a tight knot. But before going any further on the subject, let's see how binge eating manifests itself and what its causes are.

Binge eating can roughly translate to "an excessive need to overeat", but it is much more than that. Binge eating is a psychological problem, but it is usually simply the result of a deeper, more complex psychological or emotional problem. Persons that are depressed and "drown" their problems in food may very well suffer from a form of binge eating, especially if they overeat at each meal.

Although binge eating is quite similar to compulsive eating in consequences, the two eating disorders are very much different. Whereas with compulsive eating, the patient will spend a great deal of his time fantasizing about food and overeat on the first occasion, binge eating sufferers crave for food not because they "need it", but as a form of soothing their depressions. A person with compulsive eating may not always feel ashamed or depressed after a meal where he has overeaten, even though he knows it was not right. Even more so, he might feel satisfied of the meal and find a way to justify the fact that he ate that much. With binge eating on the other hand, overeating always tends to depression, disgust or guilt of having eaten and this feeling can often drive people to bulimia, hence the close relation between the two.

A person suffering from the binge eating disorder will not be able to exercise control over what, when and how much he eats and he will eat until feeling physically uncomfortable, far beyond the "full stomach" step. This discomfort, combined with the guilt of having eaten that much is often a preset for intentional purging (a key element in bulimia). Some of the other symptoms that a patient may display include the fact that he always eats alone, because he feels embarrassed about eating (and about how much he eats), eats quickly without chewing, hides the fact that he eats this much from the others (this includes waking up in the middle of the night for a sneak meal).

Binge eating is damaging enough on its own, because it can create severe weight problems which can lead to further cardiovascular, muscular or digestive issues. But the biggest risk of binge eating is that it can easily develop into bulimia, especially if the person suffering from it is in a period of emotional instability. Make sure you stop this eating disorder from its roots, as it can become extremely dangerous and even life threatening.

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