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Happy Thanksgiving to all who visit and peruse! A brief review on Binge Eating for the Holidays!
> 11/24/2005 9:51:36 AM

Binge Eating Disorder is a DSM IV disorder classified under the group of proposed diagnoses called Appendix B: Criteria Sets and Axes Provided for Further Study.

For research purposes the criteria for this disorder are the following:

Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following: eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances a sense of lack of control over eating during the episode (e.g., a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating)
The binge-eating episodes are associated with three (or more) of the following: eating much more rapidly than normal eating until feeling uncomfortably full eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry eating alone because of being embarrassed by how much one is eating feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or very guilty after overeating
Marked distress regarding binge eating is present. The binge eating occurs, on average, at least 2 days a week for 6 months. Note: The method of determining frequency differs from that used for Bulimia Nervosa; future research should address whether the preferred method of setting a frequency threshold is counting the number of days on which binges occur or counting the number of episodes of binge eating.
The binge eating is not associated with the regular use of inappropriate compensatory behaviors (e.g., purging, fasting, excessive exercise) and does not occur exclusively during the course of Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa.

A review done in 2000 is worth re-examining The Natural Course of Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder in Young Women by Christopher G. Fairburn et al in Arch Gen Psychiatry.

They examined the 5 year course of both Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder. They found that:
"Both cohorts showed marked initial improvement followed by gradual improvement thereafter. Between half and two thirds of the bulimia nervosa cohort had some form of disorder of clinical severity at each assessment point, although only a minority continued to meet diagnostic criteria for bulimia nervosa. Each year about a third remitted and a third relapsed. The outcome of the disorder cohort was better,with the proportion with any form of clinical declining to 18% (7 of 40) by the 5-year follow-up. The relapse rate was low among this cohort. There was little movement of participants across the 2 diagnostic categories and few sought treatment. Both groups gained weight, with 39% of the disorder cohort (14 of 36) meeting criteria for obesity at 5-year follow-up."

These findings highlight the difficulties of treating these disorders and the need for early intervention in adolescence to stem the tide of obesity in those with Binge Eating Disorder. It is discouraging that few of the woman in the study sought treatment for their problems. The shame and stigma that still exists surrounding this class of Eating Disorders needs to be attacked and education needs to be aggressively pursued to help teenage girls realize the treatability of these problems and the poor prognosis of these disorders without good treatment.

Eat safely over the Holidays!!!

Comments
It's too sad for those who are following an anorexia treatment and cannot enjoy the holidays with their families.

Posted by: sabina 8/28/2007 9:25:06 AM