What is binge eating disorder?

Binge eating disorder is a serious mental health condition.

If someone has binge eating disorder, they regularly eat very large amounts of food very quickly. This behaviour happens at least once a week over 3 months or more. People with binge eating disorder feel that they can’t control their eating behaviour.

Binge eating disorder is one of the most common eating disorders in children in Australia. Children of all genders can develop this condition, but it’s particularly common in girls.

Binge eating disorder is different from eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. People with binge eating disorder don’t try to get rid of the food they’ve eaten by exercising or purging. They might try to compensate for binge-eating by restricting or reducing their eating. But then they binge-eat because they feel hungry.

Binge eating disorder symptoms and signs

Binge eating disorder can be hard to spot. This is because people with binge eating disorder might be within a healthy weight range for their height or they might be at a higher weight. And it’s common for them to try to keep their condition a secret.

General signs and symptoms

Children and teenagers with binge eating disorder might:

• eat a lot of food very quickly
• feel that they’re not in control of their eating
• eat until they feel uncomfortably full
• eat a lot of food even when they don’t feel hungry
• eat alone so other people don’t see how much they eat
• feel disgusted, depressed or very guilty after binge-eating
• feel distressed about binge-eating
• eat in secret
• hoard food
• wear baggy or oversized clothes
• avoid going to school or social activities.

Physical signs

Children and teenagers with binge eating disorder might:

• feel tired
• have difficulty sleeping
• have constipation or bloating.

Psychological signs

Children and teenagers with binge eating disorder might:

• be preoccupied with eating or food
• have negative feelings and thoughts about their body weight, size or shape.

If your child has healthy eating habits and a positive body image, they’re less likely to develop binge eating disorder. You can help your child by being a positive role model.

Complications of binge eating disorder

Binge eating disorder can have serious long-term complications. These include:

• type-2 diabetes
• high blood pressure
• high cholesterol
• problems with periods
• problems during pregnancy
• increased risk of certain cancers
• depression or anxiety
• a higher risk of suicide
• low self-esteem.

When to get help for binge-eating in children and teenagers

Your child might need help if you notice changes in your child’s eating habits or mood and behaviour in relation to food.

Start by talking with your child. This might be a difficult conversation, but it will help you understand more about what’s going on. Try to stay calm and non-judgmental. Focus on your child’s health and wellbeing, not your child’s weight and appearance.

If you’re not sure how to talk with your child about their eating behaviour and emotions, you could ask your GP or a mental health professional for help.

You can also contact the Butterfly Foundation by calling the free national helpline on 1800 334 673 or using the Butterfly Foundation webchat.

Early assessment and help from a health professional can prevent an eating problem from turning into an eating disorder. It might be easier for your child to see a health professional now. If your child gets support early, they’re less likely to need intensive treatment or to go through a long recovery period.

Binge eating disorder diagnosis

There’s no single test to diagnose binge eating disorder.

If your GP thinks your child might have binge eating disorder, the GP will talk with your child about their eating behaviour, habits and thoughts. The GP will also ask how long your child has been eating, feeling and thinking like this.

The GP might refer your child to a specialist like a paediatrician, psychologist or psychiatrist.

Binge eating disorder treatment

Binge eating disorder treatment might involve a team of health professionals with expertise in different areas. They might include psychologists and dietitians who specialise in eating disorders.

They’ll prescribe or suggest a treatment plan that’s specific to your child’s needs. The plan will depend on things like:

• your child’s age
• the causes, severity and stage of your child’s binge eating disorder.

The plan will include regular visits to your child’s GP. It’s also likely to involve some of or all the following.

Psychological therapy

This is an important part of treating binge eating disorder. It can include family sessions and one-on-one sessions with your child. This treatment aims to help you, your child and your family understand the eating disorder and how it affects your lives. It also aims to help your child:

• understand and manage their emotions
• get back to healthy eating
• build self-esteem and positive body image
• get back into social activities
• improve their communication skills
• better manage stress.

Dietitian support

A dietitian can give your child information about healthy foods and healthy eating habits. They can work with you and your child to make a healthy eating plan. If your child is worried about their weight, they can discuss this with the dietitian.

Medicines

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are medicines that are sometimes used totreat binge eating disorder. The most commonly prescribed SSRI for binge eating disorder is fluoxetine (Prozac).

The psychostimulant lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse) is also sometimes prescribed to treat binge eating disorder.

If your child has depression or anxiety as well as binge eating disorder, there are medicines that might help with these conditions too.

How to help your child with binge eating disorder at home

One of the most important things you can do to support your child is to show that you love and care for them. This can be as simple as:

• stopping to listen when your child wants to talk
• spending one-on-one time with your child
• giving your child a hug.

It’s also a good idea to ask your child’s mental health professional for specific things you can do at home to support your child’s recovery from binge eating disorder.

And in addition to any strategies that the mental health professional suggests, here are strategies you can try at home with your child:

• Encourage helpful self-talk. For example, encourage your child to practise saying things like ‘I’m more than just my appearance’ or ‘My worth doesn’t depend on how I look’.
• Encourage self-compassion. When your child is hard on themselves, encourage them to speak to themselves as they’d speak to a close friend or someone they love in a similar situation.
• Encourage your child to do things they enjoy, like reading or playing soccer. Activities like these shift your child’s focus from their appearance and can help your child build confidence.
• Use active listening. Let your child tell you how they feel about their appearance. Try to accept your child’s feelings and avoid making judgments.
• Encourage limits on your child’s use of mirrors and scales. This can help if your child spends a lot of time checking their appearance or weighing themselves.
• Talk about social media. Appearance-based social media content can make binge eating disorder worse. Talk about the type of content that your child sees online, and offer to help your child hide unhelpful content.
• Challenge harmful online and offline appearance-based messages. For example, for a message like ‘You have to be skinny to be beautiful’, you could say, ‘Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, and it’s about more than appearance. It’s also about the positive things you do, like being kind and helping others.

Causes of binge eating disorder

There’s no single known cause of binge eating disorder. But there are factors that put children at higher risk for binge eating disorder.

These risk factors include:

• family history of an eating disorder
• parents or close family members who diet
• loss of control over their eating from a young age
• pressure to conform with unhealthy body image ideals
• persistent negative emotions
• difficulty identifying and interpreting their own emotions
• impulsivity
• dieting
• a lot of ultra-processed foods and drinks in their diet
• a habit of eating when they aren’t hungry
• a stressful life event.

If your child has binge eating disorder, your love and support will be very important in helping your child recover.