Binging's in the Eye of the Beholder
Here's something I hadn't thought about before. The definition of binge-eating disorder (BED) says that binges involve eating more food than most people would expect you to eat in a relatively short time. So what if all of the people in your world don't find your eating out of the ordinary?
Another way of asking this question: Could the definition of BED be culturally-dependent? A blurb about a recent study suggests that black women meet BED criteria less often than white women. One of the project's researchers says, "These (black) women could be binge eating, but they may have less anxiety and distress surrounding their eating habits, so they don't recognize it as an issue."
So I have to ask: If there's no distress, is it really binge eating? Is it really an issue?
If there is a cultural influence suggesting that larger portion sizes are normal, we have to respond in one of two ways. We can try to convince this group that they have a problem, or we can ask how they're able to be comfortable with their eating where others can't.
- How common is binge-eating disorder?
- Medications used to address binge-eating disorder
- The path to recovery through cognitive-behavioral therapy
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I would argue that if there is no subjective sense of loss of control then it is not a binge, although it may be overeating.
Not to be nitpicky because it certainly is an interesting and thought-provoking question, but it’s “bingeing” and not “binging.”
Thanks for your comment! Actually, it’s spelled both ways. By all means, enjoy your preference!
I would argue that race is not necessarily the deciding factor as I’m sure there are white families who might deem a binge-worthy amount of food as not that far from normal and African-Americans who might find this same amount of food to be too much. It just seems problematic to associate eating large amounts of food with being Black.
Actually, the diagnostic criteria for BED (from the DSM-IV) does not mention anything about what “most people” would expect you to eat. It says:
Eating a larger amount of food than normal during a short period of time (within any two hour period)
THAN NORMAL. Not someone else’s normal. YOUR normal. What YOU would usually have eaten as a normal amount of food (a comfortable fullness is what I would consider my normal).
But you left out an important ESSENTIAL diagnostic:
Lack of control over eating during the binge episode (i.e. the feeling that one cannot stop eating).
This has NOTHING TO DO with what anyone else around you thinks. It is an internal. It is something only the eater themselves can assess.
And another of the essential markers for BED diagnosis is DISTRESS over the binge eating.
Again, has nothing to do with what other people think.
Binge Eating disorder is very difficult to deal with. But it can be overcome.
Yes, readers can find the complete diagnostic criteria for BED here on this site, including those you’ve mentioned.
It’s true that it isn’t what others around you think, unless there’s a cultural influence that changes what you think. Also, the definition of BED includes 1) the lack of control and 2) stress about the eating as two separate criteria. So if a person can be out of control and yet not be stressed, the question remains: Is it a binge?
The article I referenced suggests that you can be binge eating and not be stressed about it. But the stress is part of the definition of binge-eating disorder. Hence my post.