What is binge eating disorder?

Binge eating disorder (BED) is an eating disorder marked by recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food—often quickly and to the point of discomfort—accompanied by feelings of loss of control and distress. Unlike bulimia, binge eating is not followed by purging, fasting, or other compensatory behaviors.

Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder in the United States. It affects people of all genders, body sizes, and backgrounds. While many individuals with BED struggle with shame about their eating, the disorder is not simply about willpower or discipline. It reflects a complex interaction between emotional pain, physiological dysregulation, and learned coping patterns.

For many, binge eating provides momentary comfort or relief from loneliness, anxiety, or self-criticism—followed by guilt, physical discomfort, and renewed efforts to restrict or “start over.” These cycles can become entrenched and painful, but with treatment and support, they can be understood and healed.

What does binge eating disorder look like?

Binge eating disorder can be difficult to recognize because it often occurs in private and in individuals of diverse body types. However, there are several common features and patterns that may indicate its presence:

Recurrent binge episodes:
Eating unusually large amounts of food within a short period of time, often accompanied by a sense of loss of control—feeling unable to stop or slow down even when full or uncomfortable.

Eating in response to emotion rather than hunger:
Binge episodes are often triggered by emotional states such as stress, shame, anxiety, or sadness. Eating may temporarily soothe these emotions, though relief is short-lived.

Rapid or secretive eating:
Many people with BED eat quickly or alone out of embarrassment, trying to conceal the behavior from others.

Feelings of shame, guilt, or disgust:
After bingeing, individuals often experience deep self-criticism or remorse, reinforcing cycles of emotional distress and renewed bingeing.

Absence of compensatory behaviors:
Unlike bulimia, binge eating disorder does not typically involve purging, fasting, or excessive exercise. Weight may fluctuate or increase, and body image distress may be present, but the focus of distress is often more on the behavior and its emotional impact than on body weight itself.

Co-occurring symptoms:
Depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and difficulty regulating emotions are common. Many individuals also have a long history of dieting or restrictive eating, which can perpetuate binge cycles.

Binge eating disorder is not a moral failing—it is a serious but treatable condition that often develops as a way to cope with emotional or relational pain.

How do you treat binge eating disorder?

Treatment focuses on understanding the emotional, relational, and biological factors that maintain the bingeing cycle, and on helping individuals develop a more compassionate, balanced relationship with food and their bodies.

Psychotherapy:
Therapy offers a safe and consistent space to explore the underlying emotions and experiences that drive binge eating.

• Understanding emotional triggers: Therapy helps individuals identify patterns—what thoughts, emotions, or situations precede bingeing—and learn new ways of responding to them.

• Breaking cycles of shame: Binge eating often thrives in secrecy and self-judgment. Therapy works to reduce shame and increase self-understanding, allowing for curiosity and care instead of punishment.

• Rebuilding trust in the body: Many people with BED have long histories of dieting and self-blame. Therapy helps reestablish awareness of hunger, fullness, and satisfaction, and supports a shift toward intuitive, attuned eating.

• Exploring relational and developmental roots: For some, binge eating reflects unmet needs for comfort, connection, or control. Therapy helps uncover and tend to those needs directly, reducing reliance on food as emotional regulation.

Nutritional support:
Working with a dietitian experienced in eating disorders can help stabilize eating patterns and repair metabolic balance. The goal is not restriction or weight loss, but nourishment, consistency, and freedom from guilt around eating.

Medications:
Some medications, including certain antidepressants and medications that target impulsivity or appetite regulation, can help reduce binge frequency and address co-occurring anxiety or depression. These are best used as part of a broader, individualized treatment plan.

Medical monitoring:
Because binge eating disorder can impact cardiovascular, metabolic, and gastrointestinal health, periodic medical evaluations are important to monitor and support physical well-being during recovery.

Support and community:
Connection is central to healing. Support groups and peer communities offer understanding, accountability, and the reminder that recovery is possible. With sustained care, the cycles of bingeing and guilt can be replaced by a steadier relationship with food and a greater sense of emotional freedom.

The path toward recovery

Recovery from binge eating disorder is not about rigid control—it’s about reclaiming a sense of trust and agency in one’s relationship to food, emotion, and body. Through compassionate therapeutic work, individuals learn to understand what bingeing has been trying to express or soothe, and to meet those needs in new, life-giving ways.

Healing means learning to experience food not as an adversary, but as a means of nourishment, pleasure, and connection. With time, support, and patience, individuals can move toward a more peaceful relationship with themselves and with their bodies.