- Today, we're gonna dive into binge eating disorder.
What it is, why it's so common, oh and stick around
until the end where I will debunk some myths to ensure
that you also know what binge eating disorder is not.
And thank you so much for watching.
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Now let's get right into it.
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Okay, now back into how binge eating disorder is diagnosed.
(bright music)
Now, according to the DSM or the Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,
someone with binge eating disorder
must have recurrent episodes of binge eating.
And one of these episodes is characterized
by number one, in a short amount of time
like in two hours or so, we're gonna eat more food
than most people would eat in a similar period of time.
And number two, and in my opinion,
the most important component is that we must have a sense
of a lack of control over our eating
during the binge episode.
Like we couldn't stop eating or eat less,
even if we really, really wanted to.
Now the binge eating episodes are associated
with three or more of the following.
Number one, eating more rapidly than normal.
Number two, eating until feeling uncomfortably full,
number three, eating large amounts of food
when not feeling physically hungry.
Number four, eating alone because of feeling embarrassed
by how much one is eating.
Number five, feeling disgusted with one self,
depressed or even very guilty afterward.
And number six, we must also feel distress
about the binge eating.
Now this should occur on average
at least once a week for three months.
Finally, it must not be associated with the recurrent use
of inappropriate compensatory behaviors,
meaning, purging, exercise, laxative abuse,
things like that, things that we see in bulimia nervosa
and it also cannot occur exclusively
during the course of bulimia or anorexia,
it kind of has to stand on its own.
I know that's a lot of diagnostic criteria
and a lot to take in, so I wanna give you an example
on one of my patients who struggled
with binge eating disorder.
Now she would regularly find herself binge eating
on her way home from work.
She would feel stressed out and overwhelmed
from her work day, and she had this ritual
that she would follow as she made her way home from work.
She would stop at four to six
different fast food restaurants
so that she didn't have to order everything
from one or draw any attention to herself
and how much she was eating.
Then she would park in this empty lot,
away from all the fast food restaurants
and eat everything she had purchased.
And it roughly took her,
we'd worked on this for months and months,
it was about 30 to 40 minutes, sometimes a little longer
until she felt so full that she couldn't even think.
Then she would drive a few blocks and throw away
all of the wrappers and the garbage into a nearby dumpster
so that her husband wouldn't know what she had done.
And she felt such shame for this behavior, but admitted
that she didn't feel like she had any control over it.
She just would all of a sudden feel
this strong impulse to do it.
And once she started the process, like even just pulling
into that first drive through, she couldn't stop.
Like I said, that's a lot to absorb,
but I think it's good to know how something's diagnosed
before we get into why some of us can struggle
so much with it.
And it's also important to know that binge eating disorder
is the most common eating disorder,
affecting an estimated six to 8 million Americans,
according to the CDC.
So if you thought you were alone
in your struggles with this, you most definitely are not.
(bright music)
Let's get into the three common reasons
why we may grapple with this mental illness.
Number one, just like any eating disorder,
we are using food as a way to cope
with other things going on.
Meaning that instead of letting myself feel the anxiety
or the depression or even the trauma,
I'm gonna focus all of my energy and thoughts
into getting food and eating it.
And if we keep ourselves fixated on food
then we don't leave any room in our brain
for emotions or troubling memories.
Which moves us nicely into why we eat
until we are uncomfortably full.
Because if we're super full, all we can think about
and feel is the fullness which doesn't leave any room
for body memories or other emotions
that have a physical manifestation.
Many of you told me that feeling hungry
is incredibly triggering and can bring up trauma memories
or feelings that we haven't allowed ourselves
to feel maybe forever.
Therefore we wanna keep ourselves feeling full at all times,
so that in essence, we're keeping those thoughts
and feelings at bay.
And number three, it could also be in response to trauma.
Trauma can cause various mental illnesses
because it's incredibly overwhelming to our nervous system
and we don't have proper tools at the time to help us cope.
So we use what we have and more often than not,
the one thing that we can control and manage is ourselves
and our bodies.
When we feel hyper vigilant, we binge,
when we're triggered by something in our environment,
we binge, anything that reminds us
of the traumatic experience can cause us to binge eat.
And here's one example of a past trauma
leading to binge eating disorder.
I had one patient years ago who was sexually abused
by her father for most of her childhood.
Now he regularly commented on how small she was,
complimenting her bony knees and hips.
She did not want to be attractive to him.
And in her early teens, she began binge eating
as a way to hopefully get the abuse to stop.
Now, I know that direct correlation, not wanting to be bony,
so we're overeating may not resonate with everyone
but it just shows you how using food to cope
can take many forms and it can be done as a way
to help save ourselves from future harm.
There are many more reasons why we can suffer
from binge eating disorder.
So if you feel that I left out an important one,
please leave it in the comments down below.
But for now, we are going to move on to some myths
about binge eating disorder
because there are so many misunderstandings out there
and we need to set them straight.
(bright music)
There are five main myths that I commonly see
when speaking about binge eating disorder.
The first myth is that overeating is the same
as having binge eating disorder.
Eating a few more bites of our favorite dish
or having dessert when we're already full
is not the same as binge eating disorder.
BED doesn't just happen at one meal
and there has to be a sense of that lack of control
when we're doing it.
I know we can use overeating
and binge eating interchangeably,
I've probably even done it in the past,
but know that they have very different meanings.
Myth number two is that everyone
with binge eating disorder is obese.
As with all eating disorders,
it comes in all shapes and sizes.
Sure, some people are overweight, but not all.
Much of our body weight is determined by genetics
and other factors, not to mention that eating disorders
can shift from one type to another.
My issue with this myth is that it may deter
those who aren't overweight from seeking help
and anyone who feels outta control when eating,
deserves professional help.
Myth number three, is that it's not a big deal.
This is my biggest frustration
because people don't seem to consider overeating
to be as dangerous as under eating.
Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news,
but both are incredibly unhealthy and dangerous.
Sadly, diet culture has invaded treatment
and insurance coverage, making it incredibly difficult
to get eating disorder treatment covered
for someone with BED.
Know that is a failing in our system, and that doesn't mean
that your eating disorder is any less serious,
it deserves just as much care and it is a big deal.
BED can affect our mental health leading to other symptoms
like anxiety, depression, et cetera.
It can also affect our physical health, causing issues
like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes,
and high cholesterol.
It is a really big deal and it deserves prompt
and appropriate care.
The next myth is that we only binge on fatty
or unhealthy foods.
Sure, we can crave certain foods that people deem bad
or unhealthy and binge on them, but I've had many patients
who will binge on the foods that they have told themselves
are okay and healthy to eat.
Remember, it's not really about the food,
it's what the food distracts us from.
So if we're feeling overwhelmed or triggered,
we're gonna binge on whatever we can.
And finally, myth number five,
that there's an easy fix for BED, just eat less.
Myths like these are just plain ignorant,
which is why it's important that we keep talking
about eating disorders so that more people can understand
and the stigma surrounding them will diminish.
Thank you so much for watching.
Again, if you think I left anything out
or you would like to share your own experience,
please feel free to do so down in the comments below
and I will see you next time, bye.
(bright music)