A guide to binge eating disorder (BED)

Binge eating disorder (BED), also known as ‘compulsive eating disorder’, is a common condition, which is now widely recognised as an eating disorder.

BED is a treatable condition and the most crucial first step is to seek expert treatment and support for your eating disorder.

Getting help for binge eating disorder

At Priory, our specialists help individuals with binge eating disorder (BED) by addressing the underlying causes and triggers, in order to reduce your unhealthy binge eating behaviours, promote health and wellbeing and help you stop overeating. Our expert eating disorder treatment plans are tailored according to individual needs, in order to result in the best possible outcomes for each one of our patients.

Our expert BED treatment teams, located throughout our extensive national network of hospitals and wellbeing centres, consist of highly skilled psychologists, psychiatrists, therapists, nurses and other eating disorder specialists. We are dedicated to empowering each individual who seeks support to overcome their binge eating behaviours, develop an understanding of their unhealthy eating habits and compulsions, and ultimately take steps towards a healthy, fulfilling and positive way of life.

Signs of binge eating disorder

Binge eating is characterised by compulsive overeating, whereby individuals regularly eat a large amount of food in one sitting, regardless of whether or not they are hungry.

Those who have binge eating disorder do not engage in purging behaviours and therefore, the constant overeating that is associated with binge eating is likely to result in obesity and other associated complications.

If you think you’re struggling with the symptoms of binge eating, to look out for:

• Binge eating even when you are not hungry
• Eating until you are uncomfortably full
• Eating lots of junk food such as crisps and chocolate
• Chaotic eating habits e.g. not eating all day and then binge eating at night
• Eating in private due to embarrassment about how much you eat
• Feeling guilty or disgusting after binge eating
• Lack of fitness and general ill health as a result of unhealthy diet
• Bad skin and hair due to lack of nutrients
• Mental health problems such as stress, anxiety and depression
• Social isolation

In addition, compulsive overeating tends to happen in private and as such, the specific behaviours that are associated with this condition can sometimes be difficult to spot and diagnose. If you're concerned about someone's eating habits, there are some early signs of an eating disorder you can look out for. 

How we treat binge eating disorder

The treatment that we provide for binge eating disorder (BED) at Priory is designed to help you to identify the behavioural and emotional mechanisms that underpin your unhealthy relationship with food, along with the consequences of overeating. Before equipping you with the skills to address these challenges in order to reduce and overcome your binge eating behaviours and claim back your self-control.

We are able to deliver evdience-based binge eating disorder treatment in an outpatient, day care or inpatient (residential) capacity, which will be recommended based upon the intensity of the binge eating help and support that you require. In most individuals, outpatient treatment is all that is needed.

Our highly trained eating disorder experts will deliver a range of specialist interventions that have been specifically designed to treat individuals who are struggling with an eating disorder, such as binge eating disorder (BED).

These include:

• Dietetic input
• Supported meals
• Food exposure interventions
• Body image workshops

All of our treatment plans and workshops are designed to help you stop binge eating and have a healthier relationship with food.

Therapy for binge eating

At Priory, we will use a range of different therapy formats to help you overcome binge eating disorder. The most commonly used therapy is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), as it has been shown to be highly effective in the treatment of a wide variety of mental health conditions and eating disorders, including BED.

CBT focuses on the idea that eating disorders and other damaging behaviors are caused by negative, ingrained thoughts and beliefs. These can lead to unhealthy eating practices, lack of trust in one's ability to heal, and so on. Consequently, CBT's purpose is to challenge and alter these faulty thought patterns in order to improve the person's behaviors.

Group therapy and family therapy, as well as family support, will also be available for you during this recovery period.

Choosing Priory

Our eating disorder experts possess unrivalled clinical experience and expertise in this area, and are able to deliver a wide variety of tried and tested therapeutic methods to treat your binge eating disorder (BED) symptoms, and help you to identify the source of your harmful binge eating behaviours.

Choosing Priory as your care provider will allow you to be involved in all decisions that are made about your care and treatment, so that you are placed at the centre of your binge eating disorder treatment journey and can take steps towards achieving a bespoke and sustainable recovery.

We understand that it can be overwhelming to seek support for binge eating disorder, but you can be assured that we are here to help you every step of the way towards overcoming this devastating eating disorder, and returning to the happy, productive and BED-free life that you deserve.

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