Binge Eating Disorder
Introduction
Through time, the definition of the word binge' has evolved to mean different things altogether. In the 70s, people binge when they go on a "drunken spree." (The American Heritage Dictionary) Today, people binge when they overindulge, not in alcoholic beverages, but in food. Many like to use this word trivially, to describe an episode of slight overeating. There are some, however, who cannot afford to see binging as an insignificant rise in food intake. When they binge, these people gorge and find themselves losing control over the amount of food they consume. They are the people who suffer from the binge-eating disorder. (Fairburn, 1995)
What is Binge-Eating Disorder?
Binge-eating disorder is a common illness that faced by many today, particularly those in western countries such as the United States (U.S) and United Kingdom (Fairburn, 1995). In U.S alone, four million out of the general population suffers from this eating disorder. This number is far greater than the number of people suffering from either anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa (Wardlaw & Smith, 2006).
With the trivial usage of the word binge', it has become difficult for us to distinguish to what extent overeating constitutes a serious problem. Dr. Christopher Fairburn identified "the feature (that) distinguishes binge eating from everyday overeating and mere indulgence (as) the sense of loss of control." (Fairburn, 1995) True bingers not only eat an abnormally large amount of food each time they eat, they feel an irrepressible desire to eat. It is this seemingly uncontrollable desire that differentiates a binger from a mild overeater.
What Causes Binge-Eating Disorder? Binge eating is usually triggered by "negative moods." (Agras & Telch, 1998) According to Wardlaw and Smith, "stressful events and feelings of depression or anxiety" (Wardlaw & Smith, 2006) can trigger binge eating. They also stated loneliness, anxiety, self-pity, depression, anger, rage, alienation, and
Through time, the definition of the word binge' has evolved to mean different things altogether. In the 70s, people binge when they go on a "drunken spree." (The American Heritage Dictionary) Today, people binge when they overindulge, not in alcoholic beverages, but in food. Many like to use this word trivially, to describe an episode of slight overeating. There are some, however, who cannot afford to see binging as an insignificant rise in food intake. When they binge, these people gorge and find themselves losing control over the amount of food they consume. They are the people who suffer from the binge-eating disorder. (Fairburn, 1995)
What is Binge-Eating Disorder?
Binge-eating disorder is a common illness that faced by many today, particularly those in western countries such as the United States (U.S) and United Kingdom (Fairburn, 1995). In U.S alone, four million out of the general population suffers from this eating disorder. This number is far greater than the number of people suffering from either anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa (Wardlaw & Smith, 2006).
With the trivial usage of the word binge', it has become difficult for us to distinguish to what extent overeating constitutes a serious problem. Dr. Christopher Fairburn identified "the feature (that) distinguishes binge eating from everyday overeating and mere indulgence (as) the sense of loss of control." (Fairburn, 1995) True bingers not only eat an abnormally large amount of food each time they eat, they feel an irrepressible desire to eat. It is this seemingly uncontrollable desire that differentiates a binger from a mild overeater.
What Causes Binge-Eating Disorder? Binge eating is usually triggered by "negative moods." (Agras & Telch, 1998) According to Wardlaw and Smith, "stressful events and feelings of depression or anxiety" (Wardlaw & Smith, 2006) can trigger binge eating. They also stated loneliness, anxiety, self-pity, depression, anger, rage, alienation, and
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