Binge Eating or Disordered Eating?
The Difference Between Overeating and an Eating Disorder
May 20, 2009
There are occasions, especially in America, where overeating at a meal happens. On Thanksgiving, for example, overeating is even encouraged. People may overeat to alleviate stress, from skipping the previous meal, because the food is decadent and tastes good, or because of peer pressure.
Most people overeat, get a stomach ache and say, "Oops. I ate too much." For binge eaters, however, overeating is a totally different story.
What is a Binge?
A binge is not simply overeating. A binge is a loss of control. Binges can occur for many different reasons, such as poor body image, coping with trauma or low-self esteem. A person may have a night out with friends, arrive home late with hunger pangs, and once the refrigerator opens, it's hard to stop eating. Or perhaps after a hard day, that person decides a cookie helps sooth the stress away, until that one cookie turns into the entire package of cookies, several glasses of milk and a bowl of ice cream
Those who binge eat, and do so on a regular basis, can consume as many as 3,400 calories in a single hour, according to Psychology Today. Binging is not an enjoyment of food, or an example of gluttony. Binging is a complete and total loss of control over eating.
Binges are not without consequences. Those that binge often experience overwhelming feelings of regret, shame and embarrassment from engaging in the behavior. For people with an eating disorder, this emotional low can lead to other detrimental behaviors, such as purging or another binge.
Binging and Eating Disorders
Binging behavior occurs in two of the major eating disorders—bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder, or BED. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 1.1 to 4.2 percent of females suffer from bulimia in their lifetime; an estimated 2 to 5 percent of men and women experience BED.
In bulimia nervosa, the binge is followed by an attempt to "correct" the behavior, which can mean fasting or purging. Purging is the most common choice for bulimics, and it involves self-induced vomiting, abuse of laxatives, diuretics or enemas or excessive exercise. This binge-purge behavior brings risks for electrolyte imbalances, oral health problems, problems with the digestive track and developing ulcers.
In binge-eating disorder, sometimes called compulsive overeating, the person will binge, but does not engage in a purging behavior. Because of this, people with BED are often overweight or obese, and therefore face the severe health risks of high cholesterol and high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke and heart attack.
Time for Help
When a binge behavior becomes disordered eating, and potentially a full-blown eating disorder, it is time to seek professional help. Common symptoms of binge eating include eating alone, eating when not hungry, eating until overfull, hiding food for binges, and feeling unable to stop eating.
It is time to ask for help once binge eating begins to adversely affect life. A binge eater may be embarrassed about weight gain or worried about eating in front of others, inhibiting socializing. A binge eater may have trouble concentrating or cannot stop thinking about the last binge, or the next binge. Binge eating often exacerbates the person's low self-esteem, which can bring about feelings of depression and loneliness.
Find out more information on how to locate binge eating treatment in your area, visit the National Eating Disorder Association, or the American Psychological Association.
