How to detect binge eating disorder? 6 warning signs

When we talk about eating disorders (also known as eating disorders), words like "anorexia" and "bulimia" often come to mind.

However, although these are possibly the main representatives of this group of psychopathologies, in the sense that they are part of popular culture, there are others no less important. Among them is binge eating disorder.

This is one of the most common eating disorders, affecting around 2% of adults, being a little more common in women. In this article we will see what its characteristics are and what warning signs are those that allow us to detect this psychopathology.

• Related article: "The 10 most common eating disorders"

What is Binge Eating Disorder?

Binge eating disorder is a psychopathology very similar to bulimia in several ways. In both phenomena there is a propensity to feeling the urge to binge on food, becoming, in the medium and long term, a problem that severely affects not only mental health, but also physical health. In addition, in both cases we speak of a tendency to eat not because of hunger or a physiological or metabolic imbalance that makes it necessary to receive nutrients quickly. That is, there is a psychological alteration.

The fundamental difference between binge eating disorder and bulimia is that in the latter there are purging behaviors (for example, inducing vomiting or exercising) to compulsion mode after binge eating to try to somehow compensate for food intake and consequent calories, whereas in binge eating disorder this does not it happens.

On the other hand, binge eating disorder is associated with many other pathologies, such as obesity or major depression.

Symptoms and warning signs to detect this disorder

These are the red flags that help detect cases of binge eating disorder. However, remember that the definitive diagnosis can only be made by mental health professionals, and that not all of these events have to occur at the same time and on all occasions.

1. The person binges without being hungry

People with binge eating disorder they tend to eat a lot and very fast not because of hunger, but when they feel bad due to psychological causes (For example, when an embarrassing memory comes to mind or when they feel stressed about a test that needs to be done soon).

2. Eat so much and so fast that the intake causes discomfort

Binge eating disorder goes hand in hand with a difficulty determining how much food is enough, and the person is limited to binge eating in which food is eaten quickly, so that you often feel bad about ending up on an overly full stomach.

• You may be interested in: "Anorexia nervosa: symptoms, causes and treatment"

3. Binges are planned

While bingeing itself often occurs spontaneously and unplanned, people who have developed binge eating disorder do. plan to create an environment where lots of food can be accessed quickly.

That means, for example, they make sure to have the fridge and / or pantry well stocked throughout. moment, this being a more important cause for concern than it is for the average of the people.

4. Binge eating occurs on a weekly or daily basis

The degree of intensity or severity that binge eating disorder can reach ranges from mild cases (one to three binges per week) to extreme cases (with more than a dozen binges per week) week).

5. Altered states of consciousness during bingeing

It is not uncommon for the person to feel groggy at times of bingeing and focus solely on the act of eating and savoring, and that shortly after eating these foods, you do not remember what you have eaten.

6. Feelings of guilt after ingestion

It is common for people with binge eating disorder to feel bad about themselves about binge eating; however, as we have seen, this guilt does not translate into purging behaviors as it does with bulimia.

What can be done about this psychopathology?

Fortunately, binge eating disorder can be treated, and those who develop this psychopathology and go to therapy have a good chance of overcoming it in a matter of a few months.

It is a process in which both medical and nutrition professionals and psychologists must participate; do not forget that this disorder goes beyond the functioning of the body in a biological sense, and is maintained through learned behavior patterns that can be eliminated or modified by psychotherapy. Thus, intervening both from medicine and from psychology, it is intervened through the double path of changes at the organic and at the behavioral and mental process level, so that the changes for the better are consolidated and maintained over time.

Are you looking for psychological assistance?

If you are interested in having support for problems related to mental health and emotional well-being, please contact us. On Psychology and Psychotherapy Miguel Ángel We have more than 30 years of experience in the field of psychotherapy and we attend both people of all ages individually as in couples therapy and therapy sessions family. You can count on us both in our psychology center located in Bilbao and through our online therapy service.

Bibliographic references:

• American Psychiatric Association -APA- (2014). DSM-5. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Madrid: Panamericana.
• Fairburn, C. (2013). Overcoming binge eating: the proven program to learn why you binge and how you can stop. New York: Guilford Publications.
• Mazzeo, S.E.; Bulik, C.M. (2009). Environmental and genetic risk factors for eating disorders: what the clinician needs to know. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America. 18 (1): pp. 67 - 82.
• Soutullo Esperón, C. (2010). Manual of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Madrid: Panamericana Medica.