BINGE-EATING THAT PLAGUES ADULTS NOW RECOGNIZED AS A DISORDER

Many people binge once in a while, like at the holiday season or even just stress related. But when you do it constantly it gets to be a problem. Specialist Karen Eselson Belding says, "Binge-eating disorder is when an individual repeatedly consumes extremely large quantities of food-several thousand calories at a time-in an effort to cope with whatever is bothering them emotionally, like depression, grief of boredom." This disorder affects 2% to 5% of Americans. It is way more widespread than anorexic or bulimic.

Most binge-eaters let food control their lives. They eat as much as they can, then sleep for eight or more hours. Yet binge-eaters are good at hiding their problem, friends and family usually don't recognize a binge. Although some people might not think that binge eating is not as dangerous as anorexia or bulimia, they are wrong. If the person has diabetes, hypertension, or other chronic weight triggered conditions, they are also in great deals of trouble. Another difference that separates this disorder with another is that who it strikes. Anorexic and bulimic sufferers are 90-95% female. On the other hand, binge eating effects both men and women; men about one-third, and woman less than two thirds. Most binge eaters are overweight and find themselves as failures. Numerous surveys show that one third of people enrolled in weight loss programs are binge eaters. Experts are not positive on what causes binge eating, but believes it is a psychological basis and stress related.

There are certain treatment options for binge eating disorders, such as cognitive behavior therapy, psychoanalysis, and anti-depressant medications, such as Prozac.

Through cognitive therapy, a therapist teaches the patient to understand the connection between feelings and episodes of bingeing. Counselors do not give the patients a diet to follow or does not tell them what foods are good or bad, for a feeling of freedom. If they tell them they can't eat ice cream for example, they would feel deprived of it and could start bingeing again.

This information was brought up in class but not discussed. We briefly covered bingeing in on chapter that dealt with mental disorders, along with anorexic and bulimic. This particular disorder relates greatly to our class. It was discussed on a quiz and the test that we just had. This information was totally new to me. I had no idea that it was so important and widely spread. I thought it was very interesting, in that bingeing had more sufferers than anorexic or bulimic. It took me by surprise because you never really hear about binge eating, it is always about anorexia and bulimia. The information is definitely not a controversial issue. This article was a special interest because I know that I eat a lot and was wondering how it affected each person. I am not fat; actually I am skinny. You would think that if you saw how much I eat, you would think that I would gain some weight. But, since I am still athletic and still am in shape from high school sports that I have a high metabolism. I was just wondering that, maybe one of my family members are or even a friend. I just wanted to expand my knowledge to the mental disorder binge eating.

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