It will probably be helpful to let you know a few Binge Eating facts. All too often people make assumptions  about Binge Eating that they later find to be incorrect.Binge Eating is when a person eats a very large portion food and doesn’t purge it like a bulimic or anorexic.  They also do not take any measures to burn the extra calories through exercising.  Consequently, most binge eaters will gain weight very quickly, though it is possible to be a smaller size and have the condition, particularly if a person has a fast metabolism.  Either way, the illness must be addressed because it puts a person at risk for diabetes, heart disease and other problems associated with eating poorly.

So, how does a Binge Eating session differ from occasional overeating during the holidays or at a buffet?   Well, the keyword is ‘occasional.’  Average people may consume more calories than they want if they are having a good time, but it is usually ‘every now and then.’  Binge eaters overeat constantly, and do so in a way that is not typical.  For example, they may eat over 10,000 calories in the course of just a couple hours.  The foods consumed tend to be high in fat, salt and carbohydrates… fruits, vegetables and even meat usually are not on a binge eater’s menu.  Additionally, binge eaters will go through a binging session whether or not they are hungry. 

According to Wikipedia.com 4 million Americans have this disorder.  Surprisingly, many suffering through this condition have actually dieted in the past.  In fact, it is not uncommon for binge eaters to actually have concern for their weight, since many will feel incredibly guilty once their binging session has finished.  However, unless they get professional help, they usually won’t succeed in losing weight on their own, since dieting only makes binging worse for most sufferers. 

Bulimia Nervosa is when a person tries to lose weight through purging or other excessive means.  Bulimia is often associated with Binge Eating, though unlike the binge eater, bulimics will resort to drastic measures for losing the calories consumed.  The most common way this is done is through purging though they may also use diet pills, diuretics, laxatives and exercise.  If a bulimic doesn’t purge they are known as non-purging, though this form of Bulimia is not as common.  In either case the bulimic will not starve themselves like an anorexic would. 

When it comes to weight, many bulimics do not have the same appearance as the anorexic.  This is because through Binge Eating, bulimics are able to consume enough calories to maintain a ‘healthier’ weight, (though some bulimics might even be overweight).  And with a healthier weight, most bulimics won’t get amenorrhea, (cessation of the menstrual cycle).  However, they do suffer complications.   These complications include: digestive problems, complications with the esophagus, voice damage, electrolyte imbalance, pancreatic problems, throat cancer, seizures, kidney infection and heart failure.  Death can occur for a variety of reasons some of which include heart or liver complications, stroke, gastric rupture, or internal bleeding.

Treatment for Bulimia is often approached in the same way as Anorexia.  In fact, it is not uncommon for bulimics and anorexics to be housed in together in the same Eating Disorder clinics, since many professionals consider the underlying reasons behind the conditions to be similar. 

In nations where food is plentiful, the average person won’t have many issues when it comes to eating.  They will eat when they are hungry, and won’t eat when they aren’t hungry.  However, there are some groups of people that are unable to eat normally.  They either starve themselves, eat non-food items, overeat and/or purge any food that has been ingested.  The reason behind such behavior is usually psychological, though occasionally there are health conditions that are the culprit.  For example, pica, (a condition where a person eats materials that are not food), is caused by a nutritional deficiency.  Other health conditions might deteriorate a person to the point that they naturally don’t have an appetite or possess too much of an appetite.  But in these situations, they are not eating or eating too much because their body is not properly registering appropriate hunger feelings.  For individuals that have Eating Disorders, the physiological mechanisms controlling hunger are normal, so they do have ravaging hunger if they are starving themselves.
 

Surprisingly, Eating Disorders have been around since ancient times.  For example, Egyptian, Hebrew and Greek cultures had incidents of Bulimia.  Anorexia was acknowledged in the 1600s.  Yet, back then people didn’t have as much knowledge of psychology, so it was not understood that these conditions signify mental problems.  This type of classification didn’t occur until 1980, when the medical community determined Eating Disorders to be psychological in origin. 

So, what is happening psychologically when a person becomes a victim of an Eating Disorder?  Usually, they are preoccupied with trying to attain a false standard of thinness, though this is just the ‘surface’ reason of why they do what they do.  Underlying reasons reach deeper into a person’s psyche.  They could be using an Eating Disorder as a way to establish ‘control’ in their lives, especially if they are going through something where they feel out of control.  An Eating Disorder could also be used to gain self-esteem, since the victim falsely believes they will be ‘beautiful’ if they keep losing weight.  Of course, things are a little different if an Eating Disorder involves overeating without purging the contents.  In these situations a person is using food to fill emotional voids.  Yet, with either type of Eating Disorder, if help is not obtained quickly, the victim’s health could be at risk.  For example, anorexics or bulimics can lose the ability to have a period in the intermediate stages of their illness.  Bulimics could ruin their digestive tract through the obsessive vomiting.  Overeaters that do not purge become obese, putting their body at risk for heart attack, stroke or diabetes.  And all of these eating orders can lead to the ultimate consequence… death.  This is why if an Eating Disorder is suspected by family members, action must be taken so a person can become healthy again.  The road to recovery for both the victim and their loved ones will not be easy, but it is one that must be traveled on if the victim wants to reclaim their life.