Binge Eating Disorder

Binge eating disorder is a condition where someone feels an uncontrollable urge to overeat on a regular basis. It is usually characterized by eating extremely fast, eating beyond feeling full, eating when not hungry, eating in secret, and feeling terrible afterwards. To be diagnosed with this disorder, an individual must binge eat at least once a week for a period of three months or more, and unlike other eating disorders such as bulimia, does not involve engaging in compensatory behaviors such as purging, using laxatives, or over-exercising.

If you find yourself relying on binge eating to deal with difficult emotions or if it is having a negative impact on your daily life (e.g. large amounts of money spent on food, or spending too many hours binge eating), it is important to seek help. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), Schema Therapy, and mindful eating skills are available to assist people in overcoming disordered eating. It is possible for people to have different types of eating difficulties and for the difficulty to change over time. For instance, someone may go from binge eating to restricting their eating.