Binge eating is the most common eating disorder. According to the Weight Control Information Network (WIN), a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the National Institutes of Health, binge eating is estimated to affect three percent of all adults. In comparison to the other two common eating disorders, anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, binge eating shares similar characteristics: It affects more women than men, but it is also characterized by a number of symptoms that set it apart.
Eating a Day's Worth of Calories in One Sitting
Binge eating is very different from overeating on a holiday or during an extravagant dinner. A person with binge eating disorder eats an unusually large amount of food in a small period, usually one or two hours. It's quite common for someone who has binge eating disorder to consume the equivalent of a day's worth of calories or more during one binging episode and to eat until feeling physically uncomfortable.
Feeling a Loss of Control
The person feels she has no control over how much or what is being eaten. Though the individual may be able to exert extreme control by abstaining from eating during the non-binge portions of their day, when she begins a binge eating episode, it's as if there is a complete loss of willpower to stop the behavior.
Feelings of Guilt and Remorse
During and after an episode of binge eating, the person likely experiences intense feelings of guilt, remorse and depression over the behavior. According to the Weight Control Network, research has shown that people with binge eating disorder report more health problems, stress, trouble sleeping, and suicidal thoughts than do people without an eating disorder.
In addition, the guilt and low self-esteem she feels about the disorder may cause her to miss work, school or other social activities.
Eating in Secret
Eating alone is often due to feelings of embarrassment that may come from eating so much food in such a short period. Someone who binge-eats is very careful to hide the problem from others out of shame and guilt over the behavior. For those with binge eating disorder, it's quite common for the eating episode to take place while in the car driving, at home alone or at night when no one else is around.
Experiencing Underlying Emotional Issues
Though the exact cause of binge-eating disorder is not known, research suggests individuals who experience this condition have a difficult time managing and controlling their emotions. In this way, eating becomes a method of coping with unprocessed emotions such as anger, sadness, loneliness anxiety, stress and depression.
In some cases, other behaviors including excessive alcohol use, impulsive actions and not feeling in control are common characteristics in those with binge eating disorder.
