Binge eating disorder includes a series of different eating disorders whereby the individual eats a large amount of food and are unable to stop themselves, even when feeling full. Whilst most people will find themselves overeating from time to time, like when they are enjoying a family meal during the holiday season, some people do it more often and to the point where it gets out of their control. Where this happens, the individual is suffering from a BED.
If you have a binge eating disorder yourself, you may feel embarrassed about it and want to stop doing it. However, the compulsion to continue eating is just too great that they are unable to resist the urge to binge eat. For anyone that does have a BED, treatment can help them to overcome it.
What are the symptoms?
According to Healthcanal.com/health/
- Feeling that you have no control over your eating habits
- Often eating in secret or alone
- Eating a large amount of food over a short period of time
- Frequently partaking in fad diets but not losing any weight
- Eating when not hungry or when full
- Eating quickly during a binge
- Eating to the point where you feel uncomfortably full
- Feeling depressed or guilty about your eating habits
Unlike an individual that is suffering from bulimia, after they have done binging, there is no vomiting or use of laxatives involved in order to prevent excess weight gain. You may attempt to eat normal meals or diet. However, attempting to restrict your diet may have the opposite effect of causing you to binge eat even more.
The severity of a BED is directly determined by the frequency of the binging episodes each week.
When should you see a doctor?
If you are experiencing symptoms of binge eating disorder, it is important that you seek medical advice as soon as possible. The problems that come with binge eating vary greatly in their course and so can either be rather short-lived or much longer-term, lasting over many years. This is especially true if a BED is left untreated.
For this reason, it is important that you talk with a trained medical professional about your symptoms and feelings about your binge eating habits. It can be difficult for people to take this step and so you may find it easier to talk to a friend, loved one, or anyone that you can trust about what you are experiencing. They can help you to take the first steps in tackling the issue.
What are the causes?
In most cases of binge eating disorders, the root cause is not known. However, things like psychological issues, long-term dieting, biological factors, and genetics all play a part and greatly increase your risk of binge eating.
What are the risk factors?
It may not be a surprise to some that binge eating disorder is actually much more common in women than what it is in men. While people of all ages can suffer with a BED, it is more common in teenagers or young people in their early twenties.
Some of the factors that can put an individual more at risk of developing binge eating disorder include any of the following things:
- Psychological problems – there are lots of people that develop binge eating disorders as the direct result of feeling negative about their accomplishments, skills, and / or themselves in general. Some of the triggers that can cause a binge eating episode include stressful situations, poor body image, and the availability of junk foods.
- Dieting – lots of people that develop binge eating disorders have a long history of on and off dieting. Any sort of diet that works to restrict your intake of calories may actually cause you to binge eat, especially if you suffer from depression.
- Family history – you have a much greater chance of developing a BED if one of your parents or a sibling also has or had an eating disorder. This is because there are certain inherited genes that increase your risk of developing an eating disorder.
What are the possible complications?
It is possible that you develop certain physical and psychological issues as a result of your binge eating habits. Some of the specific complications that may trigger a binge-eating episode include the following things:
- Social isolation
- Poor quality of life
- Obesity
- Issues functioning at work and in your personal life
- Certain medical conditions related to obesity
Some of the psychiatric issues that are commonly linked with a BED include the following things:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Substance use disorders
- Depression
How can it be prevented?
Although there is no guaranteed way of preventing binge eating disorder, it is important that you get medical help if you are experiencing any of the aforementioned symptoms.
There do exist some products that can help to inhibit your appetite, such as THCV. For anyone that wants to know how does thcv work, then follow the link.
How is it diagnosed?
In order to diagnose binge eating disorder, a psychological evaluation needs to be performed including talking about what your eating habits are. Some of the other tests that may need to be performed include a blood pressure test, heart test, diabetes tests, cholesterol tests, etc. as these are all consequences of binge eating.
What treatments are available?
The aim of BED treatment is to minimize the number of binges that you experience and to promote more healthy eating habits. With binge eating disorders being very closely linked to various mental health issues, treatments for these types of problems may also be prescribed. With this help, you should have much better control over your eating habits.
Some of the most effective treatment methods include psychotherapy, medication, and behavioral weight loss programs. There are also various lifestyle and home remedies.
