Signs of Binge Eating Disorder
People with binge eating disorder (BED) compulsively eat large amounts of food in one sitting. Unlike other eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa or anorexia nervosa, most people with BED do not purposely purge (vomit) or over-exercise to compensate for overeating.
Common warning signs of BED include:
- Refusal to eat in front of friends or family
- Eating in the car or garage
- Skipping family meals
- The disappearance of large amounts of food in short periods
- Evidence of empty wrappers or food containers
- Fluctuations in weight, usually weight gain
- Compulsive overeating until uncomfortably full
- Eating large quantities of food when not hungry
- Feelings of guilt after overeating
- Sporadic diets but without evidence of weight loss
- Recurrent episodes of binge eating
However, just because someone occasionally eats a lot at once doesn’t mean they have BED. If you or a loved one show any signs of binge eating disorder above, it might be time to consult with a professional.
“Binge eating disorder is not uncommon. If you’re concerned about yourself or someone you care about, help is available. No one has to struggle with this alone. It’s important to understand that the complexities of binge eating disorder generally do not resolve on their own, as these behaviors are often used as a way to manage difficult thoughts, feelings, or life stressors.”
— Jill Daino, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW-R), BC-TMH
Symptoms of Binge Eating Disorder
Before delving into the symptoms, it’s important to know the triggers first. What causes binge eating disorder? In most cases, people with binge eating disorder also have another mental health condition that needs addressing. Binge eating disorder ranges from the physical symptoms of overeating to the point of discomfort, to the emotional symptoms of shame and guilt, to the behavioral symptoms of wanting to eat alone, avoiding group meals, and hiding evidence of consumption. BED causes many cyclical physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms.
Behavioral
One’s eating behavior can indicate an underlying mental health condition. Binge eating disorder symptoms often include the following behavioral symptoms:
- Withdrawal from social activities: Many people isolate themselves from normal social activities because they fear a potential binge episode when others will be around to witness their behavior.
- Eating alone: It’s very common for people with BED to eat alone to avoid any feelings of shame or embarrassment. They may make excuses to avoid mealtimes, such as the need to study or sleep.
- Stockpiling or hiding food: BED can make people hide food in their bedrooms or closets, so roommates or family members don’t know it exists. Hiding food also makes binge eating in private more accessible.
- Periods of fasting or dieting: If someone suddenly stops consuming food or fasts for an extended period, it can signify guilt or shame from a recent binge. It’s also common for people with BPD to try extreme dieting.
- Creating a routine to allow for binge sessions: Many people who struggle with BED will create a unique schedule that allows for binge eating, most likely when others will not be at home or outside work hours.
- Developing unique food rituals: Someone with a binge eating disorder may create food rituals like only eating a particular food or food group.
- Checking the mirror: People with BED will frequently check how they look in the mirror, only to see perceived flaws.
- Having perfectionistic tendencies: Binge eating disorder can cause people to feel out of control, resulting in them striving for perfection in other aspects of life.
Emotional
Emotional binge eating disorder symptoms can be the most difficult to overcome. Although these symptoms may be evident to a close family member or friend, emotional symptoms are often uncovered once treatment has begun.
The emotional symptoms associated with binge eating disorder can include:
- Depression: Many people with BED have depression before binge eating begins, but some develop it due to shame and embarrassment surrounding food. According to much research, the comorbidity of BED and depression (as well as other mental health conditions, such as anxiety) is extremely high.
- Anxiety: If you have a binge eating disorder, you’ll likely often have anxiety surrounding food. Holidays, family gatherings, or even dinner with friends can cause anxiety whenever food is central to the celebration.
- Distorted body image: Many people with BED are dissatisfied with their appearance, which can ultimately lead to more binge eating episodes. This cycle is often hard to break without treatment.
- Feelings of guilt or shame: An episode of binge eating is generally followed by feelings of guilt or shame.
- Feelings of low self-esteem: Because people with BED can feel tremendous shame or guilt after a binge eating episode, the embarrassment often leads to low self-esteem.
Physical
The physical symptoms of binge eating disorder are often the most apparent to the person afflicted by BED and their friends and family members.
Physical symptoms of BED often include:
- Overeating: Regular episodes of binge eating is the most obvious behavior of BED. These incidents involve eating quickly, often in secret, and past the point of being full.
- Eating until becoming ill: Many people with BED feel such an uncontrollable urge to eat that they consume food to the point of feeling physically sick.
- Gastrointestinal problems: Eating processed or high-fat foods can lead to gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhea, constipation, or even bleeding. Studies show that regurgitation, heartburn, and dysphagia are all significantly higher in people who binge eat.
- Loss of sexual desire: Research shows that many people (especially women) with binge eating disorders will lose sexual desire due to low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, anger, and shame. Loss of desire can also be brought on by increased weight.
- Fluctuations in weight: Many people with BED will be overweight with frequent binging episodes.
- Painful joints: With fluctuations in weight, especially weight gain, the joints are often sore and achy.
- Type II diabetes: Another issue with significant weight fluctuations is the body’s inability to control insulin. The habitual act of binging might lead to Type II diabetes, according to some studies. It should also be noted that research has linked Type I diabetes as a risk factor for developing BED.
- Sleep apnea: Unfortunately, many people with binge eating disorders also have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea happens when there is excess body weight, especially around the neck. With sleep apnea, a person experiences short periods where their breathing is interrupted.
- High blood pressure: Binge eating disorder involves the over-consumption of high sodium and processed food, which can lead to high blood pressure. Extra weight can also contribute to high blood pressure.
- High cholesterol levels: If people consume high-fat foods, especially during a binge episode, cholesterol levels can be likely to increase.
- Coronary disease: With high cholesterol and blood pressure risks, coronary disease is not uncommon in those with binge eating disorder.
“Given that the symptoms are physical, behavioral, and emotional, BED can impact all aspects of life: work, school, relationships, health, social connections, etc. For example, some people cancel plans with friends since they don’t want to go out for a meal together. Being able to address the symptoms with your healthcare provider and a licensed mental health professional can begin the process to unravel the challenges related to binge eating disorder.”
— Jill Daino, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW-R), BC-TMH
What Causes Binge Eating Disorder?
Binge eating disorder often occurs comorbidly with another mental health condition such as anxiety, panic disorder, depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Roughly 74% of people with BED have a co-existing mental health condition. The underlying mental health conditions can be one of the primary psychological causes of binge eating disorder, but why some people with anxiety, depression, or OCD have BED and others do not is unclear.
“The development of binge eating disorder can often be attributed to biological, psychological, and societal factors (or the ‘bio-psycho-social’ model). Eating disorders can be damaging to your physical and mental health, and we know early intervention is important here, so please do not hesitate to seek support from a therapist specializing in eating disorders if you or someone you know is struggling.”
— Kate Rosenblatt, Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), MA
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what causes binge eating disorder, but potential causes might include emotional, social, environmental, biological, and cultural factors.
“Understanding some potential causes and triggers of your eating disorder can be helpful, in part so that you can learn some ways to manage these triggers going forward, if the triggers are unavoidable. In addition to understanding causes and triggers, getting help as early as you can is crucial to your recovery from binge eating disorder. Look for healthcare professionals who have years of training and experience with eating disorders, as a generalist would not be as effective here.”
— Kate Rosenblatt, Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), MA
Emotional
- History of anxiety: Many people with BED also have a diagnosed anxiety disorder (including generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder).
- Dissatisfaction with body image: While most of us have been unhappy with our body image at times, someone with BED has an idealized appearance goal and a more intense negative body image.
- Perfectionism: Often, people with BED have a form of perfectionism known as self-oriented perfectionism. It involves creating unrealistically high and often unattainable expectations.
- Behavioral inflexibility: Like self-perfectionism, behavioral inflexibility is common with binge eating disorder. People with behavioral inflexibility are generally rule-followers, sometimes to a fault.
Social
- Having an “ideal” appearance goal: A socially-defined “ideal body” can increase the risk of binge eating disorder.
- Teasing or bullying: Bullying has lasting impacts on young people. The harmful effects of teasing people about their weight cannot be understated. Some research suggests that up to 60% of people with BED report that bullying was a significant factor in developing an eating disorder.
- Lack of social circle: Those without a social circle often experience isolation and loneliness. This isolation can lead to feelings of depression, which may lead to binge eating.
- The stigma of weight: Weight stigma is discrimination based on a person’s weight. The detrimental and inaccurate message that thin is the only beautiful is everywhere in the media, and it’s a message that can invariably lead to BED.
- Social media: While there’s a glaring lack of research overall, an integrative review of social media use and binge eating looked at eight studies conducted between 2016 and 2021. The review found that the more someone uses social media, the higher their risk is of overeating or binge eating. More research is needed on the connection between social media and eating disorders across the board; however, it’s evident how social media affects mental health in general.
Biological
- History of dieting: Someone who has a history of yo-yo dieting or attempting fad diets may be more at risk of developing BED.
- Type 1 diabetes: Research now has linked insulin-dependent diabetes to the development of eating disorders.
Genetic
- Having a close relative with a mental health condition: When an immediate family member has a mental health condition like anxiety or depression, others are more likely to develop the same mental health condition. While this is not a certainty for developing an eating disorder, having anxiety or depression has been shown to increase the likelihood of someone getting BED.
- Having a close relative with an eating disorder: Having a parent or sibling with an eating disorder increases a person’s risk of developing one themself.
Cultural
- Intergenerational trauma: Also known as historical trauma, intergenerational trauma includes cumulative trauma that indigenous groups, Native American populations, or Jewish Holocaust survivors have experienced. While there are few studies connecting eating disorders to historical trauma, there are many similarities and overlapping symptoms.
- Acculturation: People from some ethnic and racial minority groups may have a higher risk of developing an eating disorder. This risk can be especially high when the group is affected by technological advances, such as Western TV programming and media access.
Environmental
- Thin models depicted in the media: While not everyone exposed to unrealistically skinny actors and models will develop an eating disorder, these images can promote body dissatisfaction, potentially leading to BED.
- Influence of coaches or other influential figures: An influential coach who may be preoccupied with weight can negatively impact athletes, perhaps leading to binge eating.
- Parental emphasis on weight or looks: Parents who focus on their child’s appearance or weight can cause feelings of inadequacy, possibly resulting in an eating disorder.
- Parental modeling of eating disorder behavior: If parents model disordered eating, whether binging or fasting, it’s not uncommon for a child to pick up on the negative habits around food.
- Stressful life events: Studies show that women with BED experienced more adverse life events the year before their diagnosis. Often, these events include physical or sexual abuse, life circumstances, stress, or weight-related criticism. The likelihood of diagnosis is associated with the frequency of adverse events.
Risk Factors for Binge Eating Disorder
It’s impossible to determine exactly what causes binge eating disorder, but there are a few risk factors that increase the likelihood of being diagnosed with BED:
- Emotional, sexual, or physical abuse
- Physical or emotional neglect
- Loss or trauma during childhood
- Growing up around family members with eating disorders
- Family history of anxiety, depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder
Not everyone with childhood trauma will develop a binge eating disorder, nor does everyone with BED have family members with eating disorders. However, these risk factors are important to know, especially if you have symptoms of BED. So it’s important to monitor your eating behavior and look out for compulsive overeating, eating a large amount of food in a short time, or a recurring binge episode. This may indicate not just low self esteem but also an underlying mental health condition.
Seeking Professional Help
Some of the glaring binge eating disorder symptoms include eating copious amounts of food quickly and still eating while full. If you or someone you know has symptoms of binge eating disorder, don’t feel alone. While it can be scary and overwhelming, there is a path to healing by seeking binge eating disorder treatment.
The first step is to seek professional help to get a formal diagnosis. If you’re diagnosed with a binge eating disorder, your medical team will work with you to develop a care plan. Therapy and medication for binge eating disorder have been found effective.
There are multiple levels of care, including outpatient, partial hospital, residential, and in-patient. In addition, finding the right type of care is essential. Many types of psychotherapy help with BED, each through different methods. Some proven-effective forms of therapy include:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT)
“When I work with people in recovery from binge eating disorder, we talk about how recovery is possible, and the recovery journey is not always linear. There can be triggers and setbacks, and then triumphs and successes. There is hope, and there are people and programs out there who specialize in eating disorders who want to help you.”
— Kate Rosenblatt, Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), MA
Binge eating disorder is treatable. Don’t wait to get help. You deserve to live a life free from the pain of any type of eating disorder.
