Binge Eating Disorder (BED)

Eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than what 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 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 feeling embarrassed by how much one is eating.

  • Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or very guilty afterward.

• Marked distress regarding binge eating is present.

• Binge eating occurs, on average, at least once a week for 3 months.

• Binge eating is not associated with the recurrent use of inappropriate compensatory behaviors (e.g., purging) as in bulimia nervosa and does not occur exclusively during the course of bulimia nervosa or anorexia nervosa.