Eating Disorders (EDs) are mental illnesses and the main categories are: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. The common denominator is the individual’s intense preoccupation with weight and body image and controlling food and weight.
Binge Eating Disorder is the third, and relatively new, independent diagnostic category of Eating Disorders according to the American Psychiatric Association. Eating disorders do not appear suddenly. The characteristics and diagnostic criteria of episodic binge eating are an informative guide to assist in early diagnosis, help-seeking, and better development of the individual’s treatment course.
“BED” is characterized by bouts of overeating (“binges”), i.e. episodes of uncontrolled and impulsive consumption of large amounts of food, anxiety and dissatisfaction with this behavior and the absence of inappropriate compensatory behaviors for weight control found in bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. For this reason, the body weight increases and the person in some cases ends up being overweight or obese. In addition, the eating habits of people with “BED” are characterized by a general tendency to overeat. There is a constant preoccupation with food and an “uncontrollable” or sustained eating of food throughout the day, without the impulsive nature of a binge eating episode. In addition, people with BED are driven to periods of repeated dieting due to dissatisfaction with increased body weight and body image. Finally, in the majority of cases, the person is driven to binge eating episodes to regulate their negative emotions.
Specifically, the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders 2013, 5th Edition) diagnostic criteria for BED are the following:
Repeated episodes of binge eating
An episode of binge eating must be characterized by both of the following elements:
Intake of food, in a specific period of time (e.g. a 2-hour period), with the amount of food greater than what most people can consume in the same period of time and under the same conditions.
Feeling of loss of control over eating, i.e. the person has the feeling that they cannot stop or control what and how much they eat.
Binge eating episodes are associated with three or more of the following:
The person eats faster than normal.
The person eats until they feel uncomfortably full in their stomach.
The person eats large amounts of food without having the physical sensation of hunger.
The person is ashamed and feels uncomfortable about the large amounts of food he consumes and therefore eats alone.
The person feels bad about themselves, has sadness and guilt about the binge eating episode.
There is strong discomfort regarding the overconsumption of food.
Binge eating episodes occur, on average, at least once a week for 3 months.
Absence of inappropriate compensatory behaviors, (eg self-induced vomiting, use of laxatives and diuretics, intense physical exercise, strict and extreme dieting).
The treatment of eating disorders is mainly based on psychotherapy and in many cases the cooperation of a team of specialists is also necessary.
