“Eating disorder.” What did you think of when you read that? Usually, when you hear about eating disorders, you think about anorexia or bulimia. These two types center around being skinny and not eating (or purging what they do eat) to stay skinny. But did you know that there’s a type of eating disorder that is the opposite of these? Binge-eating disorder, also known as BED, is one of the most common eating disorders. Its main symptom is eating too much food at one time, although there are many other warnings and behaviors linked to BED. But just how prevalent is BED? What are the warning signs and symptoms? How is it treated? We’ll cover all these questions (and much more) in the following sections.
Note: It should be noted that there are some similarities between binge-eating disorder and bulimia. Victims of both binge large amounts of food. The difference is that bulimics binge and purge; BED victims just binge.

Statistics
Sometimes, statistics can help you see just how ugly a mental condition is. The truth is, BED is the most common eating disorder. It affects 2.8 million people in the US alone. As a matter of fact, BED is three times more common than anorexia or bulimia. It’s more prevalent than HIV, breast cancer, or schizophrenia. BED usually begins as early as your late teens to your early 20s. There are some anomaly cases where the patient can be a child though. Most female BED patients said they had had their eating disorder since early adulthood. Most men start BED in midlife, around their 30s to 40s. Three out of 10 patients that ask their doctor about weight loss treatments show symptoms of BED.
There is also a reason why you may not have heard a lot about binge-eating disorders as you have about anorexia or bulimia. BED is a relatively new mental condition. It wasn’t accepted as a formal diagnosis until 2013. But since its official appearance almost a decade ago, it has become a deadly disorder that affects 9% of our population. And the numbers are only increasing…

Risk Factors
As with all mental health conditions, doctors are not 100% sure why mental disorders exist. Some believe it has to do with your biological makeup and your genes. Here are some risk factors:
1) Your gender - Women are more likely to have an eating disorder of any type. BED is no exception.
2) Family history - Depending on your family’s history with mental health in general, you could be at risk for binge-eating disorder. Keep in mind that most patients with an eating disorder can also have underlying mental conditions. This brings us to our next point…
3) Psychological issues - If you have a mental health condition, you are at risk of having an eating disorder. Depression and anxiety are the two biggest types that link with an eating disorder.
4) History of dieting - Depending on your family or your history of dieting, you could be at risk.
The last one might need a little more explanation. The scenario could be slightly (or completely) different, but for a BED patient, it could go something like this. Say your parents were always on diets because they struggled with their weight. They didn’t have BED or any eating disorder, they just were trying to shed some pounds. In a BED patient’s mind, they could view that as a punishment to their body. After all, why would you want to say no to yourself about certain foods? You have to be careful to eradicate this mindset, especially in children whose minds have not fully developed.

Signs and Symptoms

I’ve heard of stories where a person has lost a friend or a loved one to an eating disorder. One of the things that keep running through that person’s head is: If only I had seen the signs… So here are the many symptoms of binge-eating disorder. They are split up into three categories: there are behavioral symptoms, signs a bystander might notice. There are emotional symptoms, and usually, this is only acknowledged by the patient themselves. Unless someone with BED drops frequent hints about how they feel (passive-aggressiveness aside in this instance), even loved ones will not usually recognize the emotional symptoms. Loved ones and people that are close to the patient should see the physical symptoms.
Now that we’ve established the categories, let's jump into the list. 

Emotional symptoms
Inability to stop eating. You may also feel like you’re out of control while eating. This can occur during a binge session or during normal eating times.
Rapidly eating large amounts of food. Even when not binging, patients with BED can still eat fast.
Eating even when you’re full.
Hiding or stockpiling food to eat in secret. If your family doesn’t let you just eat whenever you want, you might be prone to steal food.
Eating normally around other people but gorging in secret.
Eating continuously throughout the day, with no scheduled mealtimes.
Frequent dieting. Also, note that just because they’re on a diet doesn’t mean they’ll lose weight.
Develops certain food rituals, such as eating only certain foods, chewing excessively, not allowing foods to touch, counting the number of bites you take per food, etc.
Checks the mirror/scale often to see if they’ve gained weight.
You might also find evidence of a binge-eating session. Candy wrappers, food trash, and the like are all signs that a patient may have gone on a binge-eating session.

Emotional Symptoms
May fear eating around other people. You don’t want them to see you gorge yourself, so you don’t eat while with them or you skip out altogether.
Having extreme concerns over body weight and shape.
Feels disgusted, depressed, guilty, etc.
Has low self-esteem.

Physical Symptoms
Noticeable fluctuations in weight.
Stomach cramps and other gastrointestinal issues.
Difficulties concentrating, especially when around food.
BED takes place at least once a week for at least three months. Binge sessions are usually 3-4 times a week on average, although they may be more or less.

Like any other mental condition, BED patients can experience relapses due to triggers. Here are a few to look out for:
Having negative emotions around body shape, weight, or food. Most of the time, binge-eating sessions occur while you are sad, stressed, anxious, depressed, etc.
Feeling bored. Eating to cure boredom is also a reason why people binge.
Problems with interpersonal relationships. More strain, more binges.
Weight stigma.

Diagnosis

Whenever people believe that they might have an eating disorder, their first thought (speaking from experience) is: “It’s hopeless. I don’t know how to get help. Where do I even start?!” First, you need to admit that you have a problem. If you suspect that you have BED (or any other eating disorder), then you should consult your doctor or a mental health counselor. As a Christian, it would be best to go talk to your pastor or an older Christian who can help you spiritually.

Treatment

There are some ways to treat BED. One of them is medication. SSRIs and Vyvanse are the two common types of meds used to treat BED patients. Just make sure you don’t become reliant on the meds; you want to treat a problem, not start another one.
There’s also psychotherapy, which mainly consists of cognitive-behavioral therapy, where you try and make better plans concerning your food decisions. There is also interpersonal therapy. 

Another note: one question I had when I started researching for this paper was: “What would happen if someone with BED never voiced their concerns?” you hear about anorexics who died of kidney failures or heart attack, or bulimics dying of stomach cancer or stomach ruptures. What is the worst that can happen to a BED patient?
All of those things.
I am not exaggerating; eating too much food can cause a stomach rupture. Weighing too much will put your heart into cardiac arrest. You can also die of asphyxia when you can no longer breathe. The mental effects of BED can kill you as well. Victims of any eating disorder can fall into depression, anxiety attacks and if not stopped in time, suicide will also kill a BED patient. You need to find help if you think you have an eating disorder. It will literally save your life.

Supporting Your Loved Ones 
It’s hard, isn’t it? Watching your friend or loved one struggling with an eating disorder. There are things you can do - and not do - if you know someone with BED.
Do not: say things like “I understand”. Unless you’ve got a Master’s in Psychology, it is unlikely you understand BED. Even people that have BED don’t understand it half the time. BED can pop up in your life out of nowhere. It’s not exclusive to childhood trauma conditions, it can victimize a teen wannabe lawyer for no reason in particular.
Do: Be supportive when they’re trying to fix their problem. If we’re trying to fix the issue, then help us out. Don’t overstep and try to run our mental health appointments or anything, but do offer tidbits of advice and encouragement.
Don’t: say blunt things like, “You need help.” (Unless you're a parent; if your child has a mental condition of any sort, it is your God-given responsibility to help them as you are able.) A statement like that can make a BED victim feel worthless, even though that was not the intention.
Do: ask if your loved one wants to talk about it. Even if they say no, you've helped more than you know. If you just calmly say something like, “I’ve noticed that you seem to be struggling. Do you want to talk about it?” Now that person knows you want to help. They don’t see any hostile intentions. A human’s response to criticism is to defend; if you’re offering help, they don’t think of you as a threat.
Don’t: make direct comments about their weight or their food intake. (Again, unless you’re their parent; then you need to.) Cutting remarks, especially about someone’s weight, can sting for a long time; let them know you want to help, not try and “fix” their problems.
Do: offer to help in small ways. Drive them to an Overeaters Anonymous meeting (only if they ask you to). You can ask them if they want you to be their accountability partner. (They’ll probably say no, but again, it’s another way to show that you want to help, not “fix” them.)

Remember: there is always hope. If you want to chat with someone who is experienced in the eating disorder department, there is always the NEDA Helpline. You can call, text, or chat online. Just click here and you can anonymously chat with a counselor about your questions regarding eating disorders. I hope this information on BED helps you.