What is Binge-Eating Disorder?

Binge Eating disorder, also known as compulsive eating, is a disorder typically characterised by a pattern of eating large quantities of, often unhealthy, food over a short period of time. Usually within about two hours.

Binge eating disorder is very similar to bulimia – with the key difference that sufferers do not purge after binging. This is the reason why compulsive eaters tend to be overweight whereas bulimics tend to be closer to a normal weight.

Binge eating can take a few different forms. Many sufferers binge on large volumes of food in short periods whereas other sufferers will eat smaller volumes more frequently – sometimes constantly grazing but never feeling satiated. What all compulsive eaters have in common is a lack of control and inability to stop themselves from eating.

Binge eating is often dismissed simply as greed. This is not the case. binge eating is an eating disorder and its sufferers need just as much help and support as bulimics and anorexics.

The key characteristics of binge eating disorder are:

Generally Overweight:

As binge eaters consume large volumes of food, either in binges or over short periods of time, but do not binge, they tend to be overweight. In some cases they will be very overweight or even obese.

Weight is likely to continually increase:

Binge eaters will tend to continue to gain weight until underlying issues are addressed.

Lack of control over how much is eaten:

Binge eaters are completely unable to control how much food they consume. They might be desperate to curb their eating habits, but until the underlying issues are addressed food consumption remains beyond their control and the illness drives them to continue to eat even if they are already morbidly obese.

Low self-esteem and inability to change:

As with anorexia and bulimia, binge eaters tend to suffer from very low self-esteem. This tends to be a vicious cycle as their low self-esteem will drive them to compulsively eat and the resulting weight gain will lower their self-esteem further. In most cases, they are aware there is a problem and are often desperate to address it but are completely unable to do so with help and support to address their underlying issues.