What Is Binge Eating Disorder?
When no one is seeing, he turns to his best friends, the delicacies. Chocolate, biscuits, chips, anything… He eats nervously, quickly and greedily. Once he has eaten, he never vomits. He just feels great remorse and shame for eating this way.
She is insecure and she should be skinny to feel beautiful. She has tried weight loss regimens time and time again and kept herself hungry. His body is his prison, and his worst enemy is himself.
When he arrives home and looks at himself in the mirror, he sees a deep sorrow that can be alleviated by either not eating or overeating alone. He’s in a spiral he can’t get out of. That’s his biggest secret.
The story we just told tells of a person suffering from a binge eating disorder. More and more people today suffer from this disorder, but it is difficult to diagnose.
In general, more men than women suffer from this disorder. Often, this affects overweight people who try to follow very restrictive diets all the time. It is also a much more common disorder than anorexia or bulimia.
Signs of binge eating disorder
1. A person devours, i.e. eats a large amount of food quickly. He eats even if he is not hungry, and he eats until he feels full, or even nauseous. This is caused by pre-binge anxiety.
2. A person always does this in secret because he is either afraid or ashamed. For example, at night or when no one is home. This often happens even after a high mental strain.
3. Above all, a person eats when he feels under pressure or in a psychologically weak state.
4. During or after binge eating, the person feels great guilt and / or shame.
5. Unlike other eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia, a person with binge eating does not try to get rid of the calories eaten after binge eating, for example by vomiting, exercising, fasting, etc.
6. Often, people with this disorder are stressed, anxious, or depressed. This is often accompanied by high dissatisfaction with their appearance and weight, as well as low self-esteem and many other mental problems.
7. A person with a binge eating disorder often has abnormal eating habits and his weight fluctuates heavily.
8. A person constantly feels the need to follow a strict diet to lose weight. The stricter the diet, the more chaos and disorder in life.
9. If a person behaves in this way at least two days a week for at least six months, it may be a binge eating disorder.
How can we help a person with a binge eating disorder?
If you suspect that a friend, family member, or even you yourself is suffering from a binge eating disorder, it would be best for the person suffering from that disorder to seek the help of a psychologist or psychiatrist as soon as possible.
An expert can help with the problem with either individual or group therapy that combines both nutritional counseling and psychological intervention. Only a professional will be able to assess whether a patient needs medication to block their impulses.
In therapy, a person with binge eating disorder can be helped to nourish themselves in the right way and fight against this disorder, which can harm the person both physically and mentally.
