What is Binge Eating Disorder?

Eating is a daily requirement and our body needs nutrients in order to survive and function. Though there are times when the sight of a gourmet meal brings out our gluttonous side and we end up over-eating.

In the most extreme cases, we just can’t put food down and eat all the time. This is termed as binge eating and is pretty much a medical disorder. So, what are the symptoms of binge eating disorder and what causes it? Here is some important information that throws light on the disorder.

What Is Binge Eating Disorder?

Binge Eating Disorder or BED is a disorder that causes a person to eat compulsively or even consume an abnormal amount of food without having any control on them. This disorder renders a person completely powerless over their food intake. Binge eating disorder occurs approximately twice per week for a period of six months.

It was Albert Stunkard who was a psychiatrist and researcher that first coined the term Night Eating Syndrome (NES) in 1959. The term Binge Eating Disorder was formed in order to explain a similar eating disorder that was not just limited to the night time.

This disorder can occur in any in both men and women and even weight is not criteria here as this disorder can happen to people of any weight. This disorder can lead to unwanted weight gain and even obesity which can sometimes trigger the need to eat more.

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There is a lot of emotional turmoil that those who suffer from binge eating disorder struggle with. They can suffer from moderate disgust and guilt to extreme depression and even anxiety. The worst part about these feelings is that in order to cope with such negative emotions, a person falls back to the comfort of food. Hence this vicious circle continuous for long since the condition leads to excessive eating and eating leads to terrible emotions that again triggers binge eating.

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Binge Eating Causes

The core reason that causes binge eating is still unknown though there are reasons that are thought to cause this condition. Such factors are:

• There are biological reasons that can cause excessive eating such as hormonal irregularities or genetic mutations. Often these conditions are accompanied with compulsive eating and food addiction.

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• Psychological reasons can cause binge eating too as emotions can sometimes drive a person to comfort food. It has been medically proven that depression can drive a person to binge eat and so can body dissatisfaction, low self-esteem, and difficulty coping with feelings.

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• Often enough traumas can cause a person to take solace in eating. If a person has been through a strong traumatic situation such as sexual abuse or even social pressure to be thin and attractive. If a person is very sensitive about their body or their weight they can be particularly vulnerable to binge eating if triggered.

Binge Eating Symptoms

• A person who starts to binge eat does it mostly out of embarrassment or shame. In many cases, the symptoms of binge eating would be hidden as the person would not be very forthcoming about their problem. Since binge eating helps a person to overcome traumatic situations, many symptoms are hidden. These are some of the signs and symptoms of binge eating:
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• #1. To continue eating even after being full

#2. To have no control over food intake or over the amount of food eaten

#3. To stockpile food for future consumption

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#4. To eat normally when others are around but gorging when you are alone.

#5. To only be able to relieve yourself of anxiety only after binge eating.

#6. To experience numbness while bingeing.

#7. To never feel full despite the amount of food that you have had.

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