Binge eating disorder : Diagnostic criteria

Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is a recognized eating disorder that significantly impacts both psychological well-being and daily functioning. It is characterized, as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), by specific behaviors and patterns:

1. Excessive Food Consumption: Individuals with BED consume substantially more food than others would in a similar timeframe, often within a two-hour period.

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3. Lack of Control and Guilt: During episodes of binge eating, there is a feeling of lost control over eating habits, followed by feelings of guilt or distress afterward.

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5. Frequency of Episodes: BED is marked by the occurrence of binge eating episodes at least once a week over a three-month period.

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7. Absence of Compensatory Behaviors: Unlike some other eating disorders, BED is not associated with regular compensatory behaviours like purging.

BED emerges from a complex interplay of various factors, which can be psychological, social, cultural, or biological. Some key risk factors include childhood obesity, loss of controlled eating during childhood, tendencies towards perfectionism, conduct issues, substance abuse, family-related concerns about weight and eating habits, family conflicts, parental psychopathology, experiences of physical and sexual abuse, mental health impairments, genetic factors (involvement of mu-opioid and dopamine receptor...