Binge eating disorder (BED) is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food (often very quickly and to the point of discomfort); a feeling of a loss of control during the binge; experiencing shame, distress or guilt afterwards; and not regularly using unhealthy compensatory measures (e.g., purging) to counter the binge eating. It is the most common eating disorder in the United States.
There are a variety of factors that are thought to influence the development of this disorder, such as biological abnormalities or hormonal irregularities, psychological connections between depression and binge eating and body dissatisfaction and/or low self-esteem as well as traumatic situations, such sexual abuse.
Symptoms of Binge Eating Disorder vary and may include:
- Continually eating even when full
- Inability to stop eating or control what is eaten
- Stockpiling food to consume secretly at a later time
- Eating normally in the presence of others but gorging when isolated
- Experiencing feelings of stress or anxiety that can only be relieved by eating
- Feelings of numbness or lack of sensation while bingeing
- Never experiencing satiation, no matter the amount of food consumed
Please contact Lehigh Center for Clinical Research for details.
