Binge eating disorder (BED)

Binge eating disorder (BSL) | Binge eating disorder (audio) | Binge eating disorder (Easy Read)

Binge eating disorder (BED) is a serious eating disorder. A person with BED regularly eats very large amounts of food over a short period of time, and doesn't feel in control of what they're eating. Afterwards they feel distressed, guilty and overwhelmed.

If you binge eat and then make yourself sick on a regular basis, this is more likely to be bulimia nervosa.

BED can affect anyone of any age, gender or ethnicity. It is more common than other eating disorders. In the UK, around 1 in 25 people have symptoms of binge eating disorder.

There's no one way for someone with BED to look.

Overeating becomes a binge when you notice signs like these:

• eating much faster than normal
• eating until you feel uncomfortably full
• regularly eating a large amount of food when you're not hungry
• eating alone or in secret, because you're embarrassed or ashamed about how much you're eating
• feeling guilty, ashamed or disgusted with yourself during or after a binge

The main signs of binge eating disorder (BED) are these, and they happen regularly:

• eating a large quantity of food over a short time (bingeing)
• feeling out of control of your eating and feeling distressed
• restricting your eating or putting strict rules around eating
• fasting for long periods of time before or after a binge
• hoarding food
• feeling ashamed and hiding evidence of eating from others (close family and friends may be unaware of the distress and binges)
• planning the day around food by trying to restrict how much food you eat and then fasting, which may lead to more binges
• having low self-esteem and feeling shame
• being preoccupied about weight and body shape

If you're experiencing these symptoms and think you might have BED, speak to a doctor.

If you feel you have to purge what you've eaten after a binge to avoid gaining weight, you may have symptoms of bulimia nervosa.

If binges don't happen regularly, and your weight is very low, you may have symptoms of anorexia nervosa.

There are treatments available for binge eating disorder (BED). They don't focus directly on weight loss. Instead, treatment looks at the things that leave a person with a difficult relationship with food, such as relationships, feelings and thoughts.

With guided self-help, you work through information and activities on your own, at your own pace. You also have regular support sessions with a professional.

Another treatment for binge eating disorder is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). You can have it individually or as part of a group. CBT starts from the idea that your thoughts, feelings and behaviour are linked, and that each one affects the others.

If problems in your life are causing you to binge eat, CBT helps you binge less. It looks for the underlying issues, so you're less likely to binge in future. The focus is on what keeps the eating disorder going, not on diet or weight loss.

Interpersonal psychotherapy looks at how your relationships, your feelings and the way you eat are connected to one another.

Children and young people with binge eating disorder might be offered Family Based Treatment (FBT). In this approach the whole family takes part in helping the child or young person deal with the eating disorder. Parents and carers are an essential part of the solution, and they become members of the treatment team.

Medicine is not recommended to treat binge eating disorder (BED). Your doctor may still prescribe it for other health conditions you have alongside BED.

The SIGN guideline on eating disorders has more information about treatment for eating disorders.

Binge eating often leads to weight gain. If you're overweight or obese, you are at risk of a number of physical health problems, and some of them can be life threatening.

These include:

• high cholesterol
• high blood pressure
• diabetes
• osteoarthritis
• some types of cancer

If you think you might have a binge eating problem, help is available. You can get support for both the physical and the mental effects of binge eating.

If you have eating problems, or think you may have an eating disorder such as binge eating disorder, please seek help as soon as you can.

You could:

• talk to someone you trust, like a friend or a member of your family
• see your doctor, and you may find it helpful to bring someone with you for support
• contact an anonymous helpline, like Beat's helpline

If someone close to you is showing signs of an eating disorder, such as binge eating disorder (BED), you can offer help and support.

You could start by talking to them about how they feel, and listen to what they say without judging them. You can encourage them to think about getting help. Try not to pressure them or criticise them, because this could make things worse. You could also offer to go with them to see their doctor.

Your doctor or another health professional can advise you on how to help someone. This includes giving you information on:

• the treatments available
• how you can support them during their treatment
• helping you understand BED