Binge Eating Disorder: How Near is it to You?

The Severity of the Problem

Binge eating disorder (or compulsive overeating) is a relatively recently recognized disorder and is a condition that millions of Americans may have. It is the most common of the eating disorders and one which resembles bulimia nervosa.

It is a condition in which you regularly eat large amounts of food within a couple of hours (a binge) and is a severe, life-threatening disorder that is found in about 2 percent of the general population; more often in women than men. Binge eating disorder is also often (50% of the time) associated with major depression and with obesity. This disorder is usually diagnosed and treated by a psychiatrist and/or a psychologist but a person suffering from binge eating disorder is very well aware that a problem exists themselves.

Treatment

Whilst binge eating disorder is a serious problem, it can often be evaluated and treated successfully. However, it is not everyone that has binge eating disorder is necessarily overweight. Presently, there is no universally accepted standard treatment for this malady and it has been found that one third of women that seek treatment to lose weight suffer from the disease. The treatment of binge eating disorder can be challenging because most people feel ashamed of their disorder and try to hide their problem and do not seek professional advice.

A comprehensive treatment plan is necessary that can be adjusted to meet the needs of each patient but the goal for treatment of binge-eating disorder is to reduce eating binges and, when necessary, to lose weight. Treatment also includes counselling, medicines such as antidepressants, or a combination of the two. Venlafaxine may also be an effective treatment for binge eating disorder that is associated with an overweight or obese person.

Part of the multidisciplinary treatment of binge-eating disorder includes pharmacotherapy and the treatment also utilizes some of the same strategies as those for bulimia. Self-help may also be a useful addition to treatment, particularly in the less complicated cases of bulimia and binge eating disorder.

Binge eating disorder is a real illness that causes emotional turmoil and should not be confused with a person simply being over-weight or fat.

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