Binge-Eating Disorder
In binge-eating disorder, the person binge eats frequently and repeatedly. S/he feels out of control and unable to stop eating during binges. The individual may eat rapidly and secretly, or may snack and nibble all day long, and feels guilty and ashamed of binge eating. There usually is a history of diet failures and the individual often experiences depression and obesity.
People who have binge eating disorder do not regularly vomit, overexercise, or abuse laxatives as bulimics do. They may be genetically predisposed to weigh more than the cultural ideal (which at present is exceedingly unrealistic), so they diet, make themselves hungry, and then binge in response to that hunger. Or they may eat for emotional reasons: to comfort themselves, avoid threatening situations, and numb emotional pain. Binge eating can lead to obesity and related medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease. |
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