Understanding Binge Eating Disorder and Finding Treatment
Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is a prevalent yet often misunderstood condition that affects people across various demographics. This blog explores who is most at risk for developing BED and the treatment options available. In addition, I’ll share more about approaches to treatment, including counseling, medical intervention, and therapy groups, with links to resources for additional info and support.
What is binge eating disorder?
Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is a serious eating disorder characterized by recurring episodes of consuming large quantities of food in a short period, often quickly and to the point of discomfort. Binge episodes usually last from 15 minutes to two hours and happen two to three times per week for two months or more. It’s important to note that not all people with BED will meet these specific criteria, but their need for support is still critical. Unlike bulimia, binge eating episodes are not followed by purging behaviors such as vomiting or excessive exercise.
People with BED often experience feelings of shame, distress, and a lack of control over their eating habits. This disorder can lead to various physical and mental health issues, including gastrointestinal issues, diabetes, and depression. Treatment often involves therapy, nutritional education, and sometimes medication.
Who gets binge eating disorder?
Binge eating disorder affects upwards of 2.8 million adults in the United States. It is one of the most common eating disorders in America. BED affects people of all genders including non-binary and trans folks who may struggle with gender dysphoria and use food restriction to alter their bodies and match their gender identity. BED can begin in adolescence but impacts people of any age.
Why does binge eating disorder happen?
Binge Eating Disorder (BED) happens due to a complex interplay of genetic, psychological, and environmental factors. Genetic predisposition can make some individuals more susceptible. Psychological factors include emotional distress, low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety, which may lead individuals to use food as a coping mechanism. Environmental influences, such as societal pressures to be thin, trauma, or familial patterns of eating behavior, also play significant roles. Additionally, biochemical factors, such as hormonal imbalances or abnormalities in brain neurotransmitters, may contribute to the development of BED.
What I see most in clinical practice is that a combo of pre-existing mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem paired with a history of food restricting and dieting leads to the development of BED. Food restriction can be physical (e.g. not eating enough such as while dieting). It also can be psychological (e.g. keeping oneself from eating or delaying eating to support diet or food rules). Restriction creates conditions for a binge to happen such as in the cycle below:
This cycle keeps people feeling stuck, ashamed like they don’t have enough willpower, and spinning their wheels in anxiety, depression, and self-loathing.
I’m here to tell you that it’s not about willpower or keeping sweets out of your house. You can trust yourself around food again. The key is working through the negative beliefs about self, and diet rules, and building awareness of binge behaviors to find relief. You are not alone and there is hope for recovery!
How is binge eating disorder treated? Finding eating disorder treatment in Raleigh, NC
There are a number of options for the treatment of binge eating disorder. The first one is to STOP DIETING. Yes, you read that right. Any type of restriction - physical or psychological - keeps people stuck on the merry-go-round of dieting and binging. Sometimes folks don’t know they have lingering food rules in the back of their minds until we start working together. Once they start to unravel those old beliefs, they can start making changes to deal with the binging.
Some specific therapy modalities that work for binge eating disorder include:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT):
Goal:
Helps patients understand the relationship between their thoughts, feelings, and eating behaviors.
Process:
Identifies and changes negative thought patterns and behaviors related to food and body image. It also involves developing healthier coping mechanisms.
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT):
Goal:
Focuses on improving interpersonal relationships and social functioning.
Process:
Addresses underlying issues such as grief, role disputes, and interpersonal deficits that may contribute to binge eating behaviors.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT):
Goal:
Teaches skills to manage emotions, reduce stress, and improve relationships.
Process:
Uses mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness skills to help control binge eating episodes.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT):
Goal:
Encourages patients to accept their thoughts and feelings rather than fighting them, and commit to behavior changes.
Process:
Focuses on mindfulness, values for living, and behavior change strategies to manage the urge to binge eat.
Somatic Experiencing Therapy (SE):
Goal:
Increase awareness of sensations and body cues to help register hunger/fullness and manage emotional distress in ways beyond binging.
Process:
Uses body awareness strategies to identify sensations, imagery, feelings, and impulses to learn alternate ways to attend to issues that may contribute to a binge episode.
Intuitive Eating Education:
Goal:
Learn intuitive eating principles and practice to respond to the body’s hunger and fullness cues, ditch diet culture thinking, increase body respect, and learn how to integrate movement and nutrition without the fat-phobic rules American culture tends to teach.
Process:
Education with Elyse Resch and Evelyn Tribole’s work called Intuitive Eating and practice using different skills to help support recovery from binge eating.
Additional interventions for binge eating treatment may include the following:
Medical Management:
Medications such as antidepressants can help reduce binge eating episodes and treat associated depression. Other medications that may be useful include stimulants such as lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse), which is FDA-approved for treating BED and can help reduce the frequency of binge eating episodes by decreasing appetite. *I’m on the fence about Vyvanse and other stimulants, but overall some folks find this a helpful tactic in slowing themselves down before diving into a binge episode. Over time, our therapy goal would be to help folks not need this medication in order to manage a binge.
Nutritional Counseling:
It’s helpful for folks to work with a registered dietitian with a specialty in non-diet, health at any size capacity. The goal of their work is to provide guidance on balanced eating and a more intuitive relationship with food. A good RD will help clients make sure they are eating adequately and consistently to eliminate restrictions and understand nutritional needs and myth-bust diet culture messages that contribute to internalized fatphobia and negative body image.
Lifestyle and Support:
Support groups for intuitive eating and binge eating recovery can provide a sense of community and shared experience. There are a bunch of free support groups available for recovery such as the ones listed below. In addition, self-help strategies such as self-help books, online resources, and structured self-help programs provide tools and strategies for managing binge eating. I recommend starting with the podcasts, “Food Psych” and “Recovery Warriors” to learn more about others’ experiences and recovery from eating disorders.
Where can I find binge eating disorder treatment?
Treatment for Binge Eating Disorder (BED) can be found through various resources:
Healthcare Providers:
Consult with your primary care physician or mental health professionals in your area who can offer referrals to specialists.
Eating Disorder Therapists:
Look for therapists specializing in eating disorders, specifically binge eating disorders. You can check out sites such as Psychology Today and Therapy Den for directories of BED specialists. At Counselor Kate, I specialize in online eating disorder therapy.
Treatment Centers:
Consider specialized eating disorder treatment centers or clinics. Some resources in Raleigh, NC include Veritas Collaborative, UNC Center for Eating Disorders, and the Eating Recovery Center.
Support Groups:
Participate in support groups, either in-person or online. You can check out the National Alliance For Eating Disorders and the Center For Discovery for FREE support groups.
Online Resources:
Websites like the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) and The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness provide directories for treatment centers.
Final thoughts from an eating disorder therapist in Raleigh, NC
Binge eating disorder is an eating disorder that doesn’t discriminate and affects more people than most other eating issues. Thankfully, BED is much better understood than it used to be and we have a variety of ways to treat it. Whether through therapy, medical intervention, support groups, or specialized treatment centers, individuals can find the help they need to overcome this disorder. If you or someone you know is struggling with binge eating, reaching out for support is a crucial first step toward recovery. Remember, you are not alone, and with the right help, it is possible to regain control and improve your quality of life. Contact me to get started with your recovery today.
Get started on your journey toward binge eating recovery today
Follow the steps below today to start your journey toward recovery. Together, we can work through negative beliefs, build awareness of binge behaviors, and develop healthier coping strategies. You are not alone in this, and with the right support, a healthier and more fulfilling life is within reach!
Book a free initial consultation to discuss your needs & explore how we can work together towards your recovery.
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At Counselor Kate, my goal is to provide compassionate support to help individuals process and release trauma stored in the body with trauma and somatic therapy. Rediscover a harmonious relationship between food and your body through my intuitive eating services!