Binge eating disorder (BED), often known as an overeating problem, is a recognized mental condition and not only an eating disorder. It is a global problem that affects roughly 2% of the population and leads to other health problems like diabetes and high cholesterol related to food. Even when they are not hungry, people with BED often eat a lot of food.
When someone binges, they feel relieved but out of control or ashamed. Emotional stress or plain distress is what those with BED find to be their biggest triggers. Some symptoms of BED include eating more than normal quickly, eating a lot while not feeling hungry, eating by themselves out of embarrassment, and emotions of disgust. Persons with BED also feel unhappy about excessive eating, size, and weight.
They have altered brain structures, causing them to react impulsively to food. One common indication that a person has BED is if at least one binge-eating occurs every week for a minimum of three straight months.
Below are some treatments for BED:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
The first treatment is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT, which assesses the connections between unfavorable attitudes, actions toward food, feelings, and weight. This therapy is considered one of the most effective treatments for people experiencing BED. About 79% of the patients stopped binge eating after 20 CBT sessions, while 59% of it is still effective after a year.
Once the source of a person’s emotions has been determined, a plan can be assessed to help their emotions and daily routines. CBT with guided self-help is an alternative. Participants in this format often receive a manual to go through individually and the chance to participate in additional sessions with a therapist to help them set some objectives.
Some specific therapies are setting objectives, self-monitoring, maintaining an eating pattern, altering one’s beliefs around one’s weight, and promoting good weight-control practices. Self-help therapy is frequently more affordable and available, and websites and mobile applications provide support. Self-help CBT has been proven to be a successful substitute for conventional CBT.
This therapy aims to help those with BED shift negative thoughts to more realistic and positive ones.
