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 that are no less important. Among them is binge eating disorder.
This is one of the most common eating disorders, and affects 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.
Binge eating disorder is a psychopathology very similar to bulimia in several ways. In both phenomena there is a propensity to feel the need to binge eat , becoming, in the medium and long term, a problem that severely affects not only mental health, but also physical health. Furthermore, in both cases we are talking about a tendency to eat not out 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, purging behaviors occur (for example, making oneself vomit or exercising) as a compulsion after binge eating to try to somehow compensate for the intake. of food and the resulting calories, while in binge eating disorder this does not occur.
On the other hand, binge eating disorder It is associated with many other pathologies such as obesity or major depression.
Symptoms and warning signs to detect this disorder
These are the warning signs that help detect cases of binge eating disorder. However, he remembers 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 binge eats without being hungry
People with binge eating disorder They tend to eat a lot and very quickly not because of hunger, but when they feel bad for psychological reasons. (for example, when a memory that makes them embarrassed comes to mind or when they feel stressed about an exam they have to take soon).
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2. Eat so much and so quickly that eating causes discomfort
Binge eating disorder goes hand in hand with a difficulty determining how much food is enough, and the person limits himself to binge eating in which food is eaten quickly, so that often feel bad about ending up with a stomach that is too full.
3. Binge eating is planned
While binge eating itself usually occurs spontaneously and unplanned, people who have developed binge eating disorder do. They plan to create an environment in which a lot of food can be accessed quickly.
This means, for example, that they make sure they have the refrigerator and/or pantry well stocked at all times, which is a more important cause for concern than it is for the average person.
4. Binge eating occurs weekly or daily
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).
5. Altered states of consciousness during binge eating
It is not unusual for the person to feel dazed during binge eating and focus solely on the act of eating and tasting, and that shortly after having eaten those foods, you do not remember what you have eaten.
6. Feelings of guilt after eating
It is common for people with binge eating disorder to feel bad about themselves because they have binged on food; 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?
Luckily, 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.
This is a process in which both medical and nutrition professionals and psychologists must participate; We must not forget that this disorder goes beyond the functioning of the body in a biological sense, and is maintained through learned behavioral patterns that can be eliminated or modified through psychotherapy. Thus, intervening from both medicine and psychology, we intervene through the double means of changes at the organic level and at the level of behavior and mental processes, so that the changes for the better are consolidated and maintained over time.
If you are interested in having support for problems related to mental health and emotional well-being, contact us. In Psychology and Psychotherapy Miguel Ángel We have more than 30 years of experience in the field of psychotherapy and we serve people of all ages individually as well as in couples and family therapy sessions. You can count on us both in our psychology center located in Bilbao and through our online therapy service.
