Psychiatrists Debate How to Classify Binge Eating Disorder
More than seven million Americans struggle with binge eating disorder. Binge eating is recognized as an eating disorder, but according to a Nov. 25 article by Melissa Healy of the Los Angeles Times, debate continues over whether it should be considered a separate psychiatric condition:
In light of new research and a seemingly growing population of patients who fit the broad description of binge eaters, psychiatrists must decide whether "binge eating disorder" should stand alongside anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa as a separate psychiatric condition - identifiable by a distinct set of symptoms, a recognizable pattern of progression and a track record of response to certain treatments.
A 2007 study by researchers at Harvard University-affiliated McLean Hospital found, in a national survey of adults, that the set of behaviors widely agreed to define binge eating are present in 3.5 percent of women at some time in their lives and 2 percent of men.
That would make binge eating disorder far more common than bulimia and anorexia put together, said Dr. James I. Hudson, lead author of the study.
Labels: binge eating
posted by EatingDisordersHelpGuide at 8:07 PM
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