Dr. Gupta is a licensed psychologist and professor at Barnard College, Columbia University. She specializes in the treatment of anxiety and eating/weight issues at Tribeca Psychology in NYC
How do we draw the line between binge eating, soon to be recognized as a unique eating disorder, and more general overeating? A group of researchers just released a new study examining a key difference between these types of eating - feeling a loss of control while eating.
What constitutes an episode of binge eating? This simple question has lead to numerous research studies seeking to better define the criteria for Binge Eating Disorder and Bulimia Nervosa. Many researchers have been advocating a looser definition of binge eating, but there is concern that this would substantially increase the number of people who could be diagnosed; and perhaps pathologize otherwise normal behavior. A new study shows this concern isn’t warranted.
Most people hear “eating disorders” and think of bulimia and anorexia. More recently, binge eating disorder has gained national attention as its own eating disorder. However, do people with symptoms of eating disorders really fit into these categories? Many of them do not – they end up shifting between different eating disorder diagnoses throughout their life or they are diagnosed as having an Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS). Is there a better way to classify eating disorders?
November 9, 2012