Binge-Eating Disorder

Binge-eating disorder (BED) was first included as its own diagnostic entity in the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) within the Feeding and Eating Disorders section.1 BED’s hallmark feature is recurrent binge eating, involving the consumption of an amount of food that is definitively larger than what others would eat under comparable circumstances within a certain time, associated with a feeling of loss of control over eating. Diagnosis of BED according to DSM-5 (307.59) requires this objective binge eating to occur at least once per week over 3 months. In contrast to binge eating in bulimia nervosa, binge eating in BED occurs without regular inappropriate compensatory behaviors aimed at preventing weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting, fasting, or laxative misuse. Binge eating in BED is further characterized by behavioral abnormalities, such as eating rapidly or until feeling uncomfortably full, and results in marked distress