Binge Eating Disorder is a severe, potentially life threatening, treatable, eating disorder that can be characterized by recurring episodes of eating large quantities of food at one time (typically leading to discomfort): feeling like you have lost control during the binge; feeling shame, guilt, or distress afterwards; and using unhealthy compensatory measures(e.g vomiting) to counteract the binge eating.

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MOST COMMON EATING DISORDER IN THE U.S. In 2007 a study showed that 3.5% of women and 2.0% of men have suffered from or are currently suffering from Binge Eating Disorder. Research shows that only 28.4% of all people will Binge Eating Disorder are currently receiving treatment and only 43.6% of people suffering from this will ever receive treatment. This eating disorder will affect 1.6% of adolescent females.

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Binge eating disorder is more accurately characterized by its emotional symptoms:

• Lack of control once one begins to eat.

• Depression.

• Grief.

• Anxiety.

• Shame.

• Disgust or self-hatred about eating behaviors.

 

When getting treated for Binge Eating Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may be used. CBT may help you cope better with issues that can trigger binge-eating episodes, such as negative feelings about your body or a depressed mood. Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (Vyvanse) is the first FDA-approved drug to treat binge eating disorder in adults. It is not clear how the drug works in binge eating, but it's thought to control the impulsive behavior that can lead to bingeing.

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