People who eat large quantities of food without following it with compensatory behaviors to rid the caloric intake are called binge eaters. Binge eating disorder has also been referred to as compulsive overeating, emotional eating or food addiction. Many binge eaters are overweight or obese. Obesity is not a direct result of binge eating. Obesity is a medical condition and can have many different causes. 

 

Much like the other disorders, binge eating disorder has medical complications. There can be high blood pressure, high cholesterol and heart disease due to high triglyceride levels. In addition, a person with BED can develop Type 2 diabetes mellitus. 

 

   The DSM V states the following as criteria for Binge Eating Disorder:

 

   1. Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following: 

      • Eating in a discrete period of time an amount of food that is definitely larger than what most individuals would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances. 

      • A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode (i.e., a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating).

 

   2. The binge-eating episodes are associated with three or more of the following:

      a. Eating much more rapidly than normal.

      b. Eating until feeling uncomfortably full.

      c. Eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry.

      d. Eating alone because of feeling embarrassed by how much one is eating. 

      e. Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or very guilty.

 

3. Marked distress regarding binge eating is present.

 

4. The binge eating occurs on average, at least once a week for 3 months. 

 

5. The binge eating is not associated with the recurrent use of inappropriate compensatory behavior as in bulimia nervosa and does not occur exclusively during the course of bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa.

 

Someone can start with a different eating disorder and end up with a binge eating disorder due to deprivation of food.