Binge-eating Disorder

Not yet an official disorder, binge-eating disorder is listed in the DSM-IV-TR as a potential new disorder requiring further study.

In this disorder, people experience marked distress due to binge-eating, but do not compensate by purging or exercise.  Due to the lack of compensation for the binge-eating, people with this disorder become obese.

Not all obese people suffer from binge-eating disorder.  However, there is a high prevalence of people who would meet the criteria for binge-eating disorder in organized weight-control programs, such as Overeaters Anonymous.

It appears that many people who binge-eat do so to alleviate negative feelings, so binge-eating is most likely to occur when such people are anxious, depressed, angry, or under stress.  (Think negative reinforcement.)

This page was last updated on Tuesday October 21, 2003.