People with a binge eating disorder do more than overeat occasionally. They will frequently eat huge amounts of food in one sitting. Many times they are ashamed of the amount of food they’re eating, so they wait until others aren’t around. Binge eating disorder usually makes the person feel as though they have no control over their eating habits.

Do not confuse binge eating disorder with bulimia. While bulimics do binge, they also purge, or get rid of the food as fast as possible so it doesn’t result in added weight. People who suffer from binge eating disorder do not purge. As a result, they usually are obese with more than 20% extra weight.

Characteristics of Binge Eating Disorder

There are several ways to identify this disorder in you. If you eat when you are not hungry and eat beyond the point of feeling full, you may have binge eating disorder. This condition is also characterized by eating faster than usual, eating alone from embarrassment, and feeling depressed or guilty afterwards.

How Common is Binge Eating Disorder?

It’s estimated that about 2% of Americans deal with this condition. It is the most common eating disorder. It is more common in women than men, but men still struggle with the disorder. One common result of binge eating is frequent weight fluctuations or yo-yo dieting. When people binge they gain weight, they feel guilty, vow to start a diet immediately, and lose a few pounds only to resort back to binging again. And, so the cycle continues.

Treatments for Binge Eating Disorder

Since most medical professionals believe binge eating disorder is a behavioral issue, many treatments were developed to deal with the behavior of binging. Cognitive behavioral therapy is the most common way to treat the disorder. This therapy teaches patients how to monitor and change their eating behaviors, and how to find new ways to deal with stress.

Self help groups also provide the patient with the necessary support to put the issues in perspective and normalize the behaviors. Binge eating disorder is not simply a matter of quitting the substance that you are abusing like drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes. Because food is the drug of choice, patients need to learn how to moderate their eating while always being tempted.

Other individual and interpersonal psychotherapies can be helpful to deal with what relationships are causing stress, how to cope, develop healthy boundaries, and replace the old habit with a healthy new one. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of reframing food in the patient’s mind as a means for survival – eat to live instead of live to eat.

Unfortunately, binge eating disorder can start very young, and can become a full blown problem by the teenage years if not monitored closely. If you suspect your child suffers with binge eating disorder, confront them with it gently and make an appointment with a professional who deals with behavior modification or counseling. Catching it early can sometimes prevent it from being a lifelong habit.