What are the signs and symptoms of binge eating disorder?

Binge eating disorder (BED) is a severe eating disorder that can have a hugely detrimental impact on an individual’s psychological and physical wellbeing, as well as causing a range of long-term problems. In addition, BED is a highly secretive disorder, with many sufferers feeling too embarrassed and ashamed to binge eat in front of other people. This means that BED may go unnoticed, undiagnosed and untreated for a long period of time.

The signs and symptoms of BED can be categorised into psychological, physical and behavioural/social symptoms.

Psychological symptoms of binge eating:

• Spending a lot of time thinking about and planning when you can have your next bingeing episode
• Feeling as though no amount of food will be able to satisfy you
• An overwhelming feeling of guilt, shame and self-disgust after binge eating
• Having a distorted and overly negative body image
• Fear or embarrassment about eating fatty, sugary or other unhealthy foods in front of other people
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Stress
• Anger, irritability and impatience – finding that you get angry for no reason and taking this out on other people
• Extremely low self-esteem
• Exacerbation of any existing mental health problems such as anxiety, depression or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

Physical symptoms of BED:

• Gaining weight as a result of your excessive eating habits
• Lack of fitness and general ill health as a result of eating so much unhealthy food
• Poor skin and hair due to lack of nutrients
• Muscle aches and cramps
• Constipation
• Bloating
• Sleep disturbances, including
• insomnia
• Tiredness and fatigue

Behavioural/social symptoms of binge eating:

• Eating a huge amount of food in one sitting, even when you are not hungry
• Bingeing on foods that you feel guilty about eating, such as those that have high amounts of saturated fat, sugar and salt
• Eating lots of junk food such as crisps, chocolate and sweets
• Feeling as though you experience a complete loss of control during your bingeing episodes, and eating in a frenzied and frantic manner
• Binge eating until the point of physical pain, and not recognising the signs that you should stop eating
• Binge eating alone or in secret
• Chaotic eating habits e.g. not eating all day and then binge eating at night
• Buying lots of food
• Hoarding food and hiding empty food packets
• Denying that you have a problem, both to yourself and others
• Social withdrawal and isolation – not wanting to meet with family and friends, in order to avoid answering any questions that they might ask about your eating habits

What are the long-term effects of BED?

Without expert help, BED can result in a number of negative and enduring consequences, including:

• Obesity
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Heart disease
• An increased risk of developing certain forms of cancer
• Infertility
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• Joint and back pain
• Osteoarthritis
• Strained or ruined relationships
• Family breakdowns
• Poor work performance
• Financial difficulties due to the amount of money that is spent on food
• Drug and alcohol addiction, as a means of helping you to cope with difficult emotions or physical complications
• Suicidal thoughts/behaviours