Binge Eating Disorder: What It Is, Symptoms & Treatments (original) (raw)

How do you recover from binge eating disorder?

There’s no quick fix, but with a consistent, long-term treatment plan, you can recover. Psychotherapy is usually the foundation of this treatment plan, and it’s proved effective for most people. Depending on the individual, your plan may also include medications or nutrition advice. You may interact with a variety of healthcare specialists, such as a psychologist, a psychiatrist or registered dietitian.

What’s in the treatment plan for binge eating disorder?

Psychotherapy (talk therapy) is the most important part of the treatment plan. You can choose from several different methodologies or approaches. Medications or diet may play supportive roles in your treatment plan. Medications and diet don’t address binge eating disorder directly, but they can help you manage some of the factors that may contribute to your disorder.

Therapy

There are many types of psychotherapy. The most studied and proven methods for treating BED are:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT helps you examine your behaviors and the thoughts and feelings behind them. Your therapist then works with you in a structured way to break those patterns and find more constructive ways of responding to those thoughts and feelings.
• Interpersonal therapy (IPT): IPT is a short-term, focused type of individual therapy that addresses the current conflicts and stress factors affecting your life. Rather than dig into childhood issues, your therapist focuses on problem-solving to relieve your most pressing pain points.

Other options include:

• Dialectical behavior therapy.
• Psychodynamic therapy.
• Individual psychotherapy.
• Group therapy.

Medication

Lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse®), an ADHD medication, has recently become the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug to treat binge eating disorder. Research has shown it can help with impulse control in both conditions. It shouldn’t be your only treatment, as impulse control is only one factor involved in BED. It can help suppress BED and keep you from relapsing longer, but it doesn’t address the root of the disorder.

You may also need medication to treat another condition related to your eating disorder, such as antidepressants or anxiety medications. Treating your underlying mental health conditions can help take the edge off your eating disorder. In addition, some providers may prescribe appetite suppressants for some people. These medications have shown short-term benefits for people in treatment for BED.

Diet and nutrition

People of all shapes and sizes can have BED, and they can also have various types of malnutrition. They may be deficient in micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) even if they have an excess of macronutrients (sugar and fat). Nutrient deficiencies can motivate binge eating by producing cravings and a vague sense of not getting enough. Nutritional supplements and nutrition education can help.

Some people find that a structured, nutritionally balanced meal plan can simply reduce some of the decision-making stress related to eating. It can satisfy your physical needs while leaving less room to act impulsively or emotionally. Although weight loss isn’t the main goal of treatment, it can be a side effect, and this can help relieve stress for some people. However, diet may be triggering for others with BED.