What is Binge Eating Disorder?
Diagnostic Criteria for Binge Eating Disorder:
(From American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed)).

1. Recurrent episodes of binge eating

• eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances;
• a sense of lack of control over eating during the episode (e.g., a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating).

2. The binge-eating episodes are associated with three (or more) of the following:

• eating much more rapidly than normal
• eating until feeling uncomfortably full
• eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry
• eating alone because of being embarrassed by how much one is eating
• feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed or very guilty after overeating

3. Marked distress regarding binge eating is present

4. The binge eating occurs, on average, at least 2 days a week for 6 months

5. The binge eating is not associated with the regular use of inappropriate compensatory behaviors (e.g. purging, fasting, excessive exercise) and does not occur exclusively during the course of Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa.