Tanith Belbin is one of the foremost ice dancers in the world. She and her partner, Ben Agosto, won a silver medal in the 2006 Olympics, but Belbin looks back on those Olympics with something other than joy. She’s embarrassed by photographs that show spindly legs and a jutting chest bone.

Four years later, according to Juliet Macur's Feb. 16 New York Times article, Belbin has overcome a history of unhealthy eating practices, and she and her partner are hoping for an even more impressive result in the 2010 Olympic Games:

She can thank one of her coaches, Natalia Linichuk, for that. ...

Linichuk and Gennadi Karponosov, who were the 1980 Olympic ice dancing champions, began coaching Belbin and Agosto in the summer of 2008, when Belbin and Agosto left suburban Detroit for a fresh start.

Linichuk took one look at the 5-foot-6, 105-pound Belbin and said, "You need to gain 10 pounds." She said more muscle would help Belbin skate faster and more fluidly. ...

As it turned out, Linichuk also ended up saving Belbin from a problem that has long plagued figure skaters: disordered eating. Often not as severe as eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia, disordered eating involves irregular eating habits that can be fueled by a distorted body image. Belbin said she had struggled with those issues since puberty.

Labels: binge eating, purging, self-esteem, self-image_issues

In the run-up to the May 2013 publication of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V), the American Psychiatric Association has posted a draft of the new manual on the website www.DSM5.org., and is inviting feedback from the public.

Among the changes is one that will be of particular interest to those who treat or have been affected by eating disorders: Binge eating disorder is scheduled to be classified as a separate disorder in the DSM-V.

In the current edition (DSM-IV, which was published in 1994), eating disorders are represented in three categories:

• Anorexia Nervosa
• Bulimia Nervosa
• Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified

In the "rationale" section of the DSM5 website, APA notes that "Binge Eating Disorder is one of the disorders in the DSM-IV appendix. It is recommended that it be formally included as a disorder in DSM-5."

Labels: binge eating, dsm-v

A new study from Rutgers University in New Jersey found that certain kinds of talk therapy works better than behavioral weight-loss treatment to help people with binge eating disorder.

Binge eating disorder includes episodes of out-of-control eating. A person might consume, for example, 10,000 calories or more at one sitting. In order to be diagnosed with binge eating disorder, the person must feel that he has no control over his eating episodes, and he must experience shame and regret after such an event.

• In the new study, Dr. Terrence Wilson assigned 205 men and women with binge eating disorders to either 20 sessions of interpersonal psychotherapy, 20 sessions of behavioral weight-loss treatment, or 10 sessions of guided self-help and cognitive behavioral therapy.
  
• There were no differences among the three groups in terms of improvements in the rates of binge eating episodes after treatment or six months later.
  
• However, two years later, the interpersonal therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy/guided self-help groups were significantly better in terms of their remission from binge eating.

The study appeared in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Labels: binge eating, therapy, treatment

Historically, binge eating has been considered a symptom of psychiatric illnesses such as depression and anxiety. It is not always considered to be an illness by itself. But that may soon change, as doctors begin seeing more instances of binge eating in their patients.

"If it gains official recognition in the APA’s manual, binge eating disorder would become distinct from depression and anxiety. But that will not change the fact that binge eaters often suffer from other psychiatric disorders. Binge eaters also cross the line to and from anorexia and bulimia at times in their lives." [Source: The Morning Call]

In The Morning Call article, psychiatrist B. Timothy Walsh says that distinguishing binge eating disorder would not only help people define their illness, but also guide their treatment.

Labels: binge eating

According to a new report in the journal Eating Disorders, a binge eating diagnosis is dependent upon the following factors:

• Episodes of binge eating must occur on a regular basis
• The binges mush involve large amounts of food, such as the consumption of 10,000 to 20,000 calories at one sitting
• People with the disorder feel that they have no control over their eating habits
• The eating binges should be "shrouded in shame and secrecy"
  

Risk factors for binge eating disorder include being between 40 and 60 years old; having other eating disorders; having psychological problems such as anxiety, depression, and anger; a history of sexual abuse; and certain genetic attributes.

Symptoms include weight gain, cravings for sugar, headaches, sensitivity to temperature, low self-esteem, and despair about being caught up in a cycle of overeating followed by shame and guilt.

The article's authors suggest that treatment includes cognitive behavioral therapy, self-help support groups, weight control, eating low-sugar foods, and avoiding sugar, alcohol, and caffeine.

Labels: binge eating, risk factors, symptoms

Discussions about eating disorders typically revolve around anorexia and bulimia. News stories tell of girls who starve themselves - sometimes literally - to death.

But, as the website MediLexicon indicates, anorexia and bulimia are not the only types of eating disorders affecting adults and young people today:

Binge eating disorder typically includes periods of excessive overeating. However, a person with a binge eating disorder does not subsequently induce purging (vomiting), as is the case with bulimia. ... A person with binge eating disorder feels compelled to eat too much. Individuals will consume enormous quantities of food, even when they are not hungry.

Individuals who are suffering from binge eating disorder often feel like they have no control over their eating, even though – after binging – they often feel disgusted and guilty. Binge eating can cause hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease. Though it doesn’t get as much attention as other eating disorders, it can be just as deadly.

Labels: awareness, binge eating

Members of the American Psychiatric Association are now considering whether to include "binge eating disorder" in the next edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V, which is due to be published in May 2012)

Some psychiatrists believe that binge eating disorder is similar to anorexia and bulimia, in that it is a full- fledged, definable eating disorder with a set of unique symptoms and a pattern of progression that responds predictably to treatment.

According to one study from Harvard University, about 3.5 percent of women and 2 percent of men are binge eaters or among those who eat large quantities of food in one sitting and then feel shame and regret afterward. Some psychologists, such as Dr. Terry Wilson of Rutgers University, say they believe that the description of the disorder should also include a preoccupation with size and weight.

Psychotherapy can help patients explore childhood traumas or unseen motives that cause the disorder, and teach them to recognize situations and feelings that trigger binges. The aim of such therapy would not necessarily be to achieve weight loss but to help the person stop binge eating.

Labels: binge eating, dsm-v

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

Mia St. John is a boxing champion, mixed martial arts competitor, model, author, and businesswomen. She is also a survivor of a teen eating disorder.

A June 23 article on the boxing website The Sweet Science addresses St. John's struggle with an eating disorder, a challenge that she describes in her new fitness book, The Knockout Workout:

She tells that she had a "love-hate relationship with food and with her body," brought on by the insecurity of living with an alcoholic father who was "an angry and oftentimes violent drunk."

"At age 13, I became obsessed with my weight," she writes. "For every pound I lost, I felt as if I had deposited one more dollar in the bank. The skinnier I became, the better I felt about myself. Weight was the only thing I could control. By simply focusing on my weight and the caloric content of every known food, I could escape everything that was a mess in my life.

"I had so many reasons to self-destruct: my father’s unpredictable and explosive behavior, kids hurling racial insults at me and worse, calling me fat. I started to blame and resent my mother for being Mexican. I drank every day, all day, and not surprisingly was flunking my classes. Then, as if to torture myself further, I began to binge and purge. I ate whatever food I desired and then purged it by taking laxatives, throwing up, or even overexercising."

St. John is also the founder of the El Saber Es Poder Foundation, which her website describes as an effort "to empower Latinos by providing schools with better supplies, equipment and development of programs to help further education."

Labels: binge eating, celebrities, purging

An expert in psychiatric genetics as turned her attention upon the problem of binge eating with a new book titled Crave: Why You Binge Eat and How to Stop. The book was written by Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D, who serves as the director of the University of North Carolina Eating Disorders Program.

In a May 15 entry on the website of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, writer Mark Jacob noted Bulik's interest in the genetic component of eating disorders. "Bulik ... defines binge eating as consuming a volume of food that others would consider unusually excessive and feeling out of control while doing so," Jacob wrote. "She said research shows that eating disorders have a strong genetic component (47 percent in one landmark Norwegian study) and often are induced by extreme dieting."

Experts estimate that about 3.5 percent of women and two percent of men will be affected by binge eating disorder at least once in their lives.

The Crave website notes that "genetic predisposition, brain chemistry, psychology, and cultural pressures increase a person's susceptibility to binge eating disorder, but bingeing is not inevitable."

Labels: binge eating, genes

A team of researchers from the University of Iowa at Iowa City has found that the types of purging methods used by someone with an eating disorder may indicate the severity of the disorder. The team also found that someone who purges frequently using the same method was more likely to suffer from anxiety and/or depression.

"The individuals who used multiple purging methods exhibited greater body image disturbance, were more restrained in eating, and were more concerned about eating, researchers found."

Keel and her colleagues evaluated the behaviors of 76 women with purging disorders and 35 with healthy means of weight control. The ones who used multiple purging methods didn't binge eat more frequently, and the ones who used the same method repeatedly were more likely to be diagnosed with a personality disorder. The research team hopes their findings will give doctors better indicators of the severity of a person's disorder.

Labels: binge eating, purging, severity

Approximately 40 million Americans suffer from a binge-eating disorder. More people are affected by binge-eating than anorexia and bulimia combined, and about 40 percent of them are men.

"People who binge use food as an anesthetic for agitation, anxiety, anger or any uncomfortable feelings. When you binge, you're psychologically stuffing down negative emotions and swallowing them, before they can reach the surface."

Warning signs of binge-eating disorder include eating in secret/cutting off social contacts, eating large amounts of food in a short period of time, and eating so quickly that you don't taste anything you're eating. Read more at C-N.com.

Labels: binge eating, causes of eating disorders, emotions

Anorexia and bulimia may get all the publicity, but the most common eating disorder in the United States is binge eating.

Binge eating is uncontrolled eating that occurs at least once a week. Afterwards people usually compensate for their binge by dieting, fasting, using laxatives or "exercising it off."

Researchers at Harvard University Medical School and McLean Psychiatric Hospital interviewed 9,000 people all over the United States about their eating habits and mental health. They found that 3.5% of women and 2% of men are binge eaters. Their disorder tends to last more than eight years. It puts them at a higher risk for obesity and diseases like stroke, heart attack, and diabetes.

All three eating disorders are more common among young people ages 18 to 29, and especially among people who were anxious and depressed.

About 1.5% of men and 0.5% of men suffer from bulimia or vomiting to control one's weight. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that can cause people to diet until they are starving to death. The researchers found that it affects less than l% of American women and only 0.3% of men.

This study appears in the February issue of Biological Psychiatry.

Labels: anorexia, binge eating, bulimia

The fashion industry has thrust eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia into the media spotlight. But a recent study by Harvard University-affiliated McLean Hospital has found that binge eating is more widespread and should be considered a "major public health burden".

"'Everybody knows about anorexia and bulimia, however, binge eating disorder affects more people, is often associated with severe obesity, and tends to persist longer,' said study lead author James Hudson."

The study was conducted for two years, and included more than 9,000 people. Of those 9,000, 3.5 percent of women and 2 percent of men admitted to having frequent uncontrolled eating binges, compared with 2.5 percent of women and 0.8 percent of men who reported struggling with anorexia or bulimia. Read more online.

Labels: binge eating, research