A binge eating disorder is a mental disorder whereby a person loses control over their eating on a regular basis (at least once a week for a period of three consecutive months) and this loss of control is usually triggered by some stressful situation.

People with a binge eating disorder normally have a negative relationship with food and suffer from a host of other problems including depression, low self-esteem, obesity and related health issues.

A lot of them suffer from anxiety and feel unable to cope with their day-to-day life and issues. The binge eating they do is almost always carried out in secret and there is a great feeling of shame and anger directed at themselves after an ‘episode’.

Causes of Binge Eating Disorder

There is no scientifically proven cause of this disorder and the reasons can be many, ranging from social pressures to instability/abuse in personal life to just feeling ‘trapped’ in your daily life. Some people also seem to have a lower threshold for stress than others.

Our society which puts a lot of emphasis on having a perfect physique, particularly for women, is not guiltless and neither is our media, which regularly slews out a plethora of images glorifying the emaciated female body. Girls as young as 12 years suffer from binge eating disorder and a lot of the blame can be laid squarely at the feet of this twisted image that society has of ‘perfection’ in the female body.

Treatment of Binge Eating Disorder

This disorder is first and foremost one that affects the mind and therefore any treatment has to be holistic and include and physical as well as psychological elements. The patient has to believe they can get better and they need an environment where they can flourish. They need to be given stress management sessions as well whereby they know how to respond positively to challenging situations.