Binge Eating Is An Eating Disorder Similar To Bulimia Nervosa

By Author: Sulamita Berrezi
Total Articles: 115
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Binge-eating disorder is a disorder with similar characteristics to bulimia nervosa; however, the former is deined as acts of frequent overconsumption of food without the subsequent purging often seen in bulimia nervosa. his disorder has a prevalence of 1 to 3 percent and afects males and females equally. Peak age of onset is 13-15; however, the disorder does occur during middle age and in the elderly. hese patients have a lack of control and hence cannot stop eating; they will continue to eat even when they feel full or not hungry. his will be followed by guilt or embarrassment and hence these patients will often eat alone particularly at night. he patient will eat (particularly fatty foods) excessively at least two days a week for six months. As a result, they are overweight or obese resulting in drastic measures to avoid other people and social situations. hey also have diiculties with impulse control in other areas of their lives. Risk factors for the disorder are typically the same as bulimia nervosa; additional risk factors include, for example, elevated levels of perceived stress, which may precede the onset of the disorders. ...
... Studies suggest that approximately 25 to 50 percent of people sufering from obesity sufer from binge-eating disorder. Binge-eating disorder often results in some of the health risks associated with clinical obesity. Bingeeating disorder has, however, a more favorable prognosis than other eating disorders with estimates of a recovery rate of 80 percent after ive years and a low relapse rate. here are several other eating disorders such as eating disorders not otherwise speciied (EDNOS) which includes the disorders mentioned above presenting in atypical form, for example, anorexic patients who menstruate normally. EDNOS develop in 4 to 6 percent of the general population. Other eating disorders include Pica, a disorder found most frequently in children who persistently eat inappropriate material such as clay, stones, feces, and lightbulbs. It is often seen in those with developmental disabilities. Prader-Willi syndrome is a childhood disorder characterized by children overeating; this is an inherited disorder and these children may develop life-threatening obesity. hese patients also have mental retardation. Nocturnal sleep-related eating disorder is another eating disorder where the person eats excessively while asleep; these patients are not conscious and this act is often associated with sleepwalking. hese individuals are not aware of what is happening and have no recollection of what has happened the previous night. his disorder occurs in 1 to 3 percent of the general population. Another eating disorder where the patients eat during the night is night-eating syndrome; this is where the individual has increased appetite during the night and almost no desire to eat during morning. hese individuals will frequently eat diferent snacks during the night but do not binge eat. Eating disorders have multiple and complex etiologies. hey present an increasing problem to society and are responsible for more loss of life than any other type of psychological illness. Eating disorders are common, especially in adolescents, and their worldwide prevalence is increasing. Approximately 72 percent of alcoholic women below 30 years of age have an eating disorder. Only 10 percent of men and women with eating disorders obtain treatment and thus many instances of eating disorders remain undiagnosed. Interventions for patients with eating disorders have traditionally been ofered on an outpatient or inpatient basis. However, there are now day hospital programs that ofer the possibility of relapse prevention in these patients. Significant progress has also been achieved in the development of psychological treatments for eating disorders; cognitive behavior therapy is currently the treatment of choice for bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder, and the use of a speciic form of family therapy for adolescents with anorexia nervosa is also useful. Eating disorders, however, cannot be prevented and many obstacles remain in developing the optimum treatment. Efective interventions for the main types of eating disorders and also the other disorders that have not met diagnostic criteria need to be made to reduce the growing trend of eating disorders among many societies.