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Eating Disorders

Diagnostic criteria for BINGE EATING DISORDER (sometimes referred to as "compulsive overeating")

A. Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:

(1) Eating in a discrete period of time (such as, within any two-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances.

(2) A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode, that is, feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating.

B. The binge-eating episodes are associated with three or more of the following:

(1) Eating much more rapidly than normal.

(2) Eating until feeling uncomfortably full.

(3) Eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry.

(4) Eating alone because embarrassed by how much one is eating.

(5) Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, or very guilty after overeating.

C. Marked distress regarding binge eating is present.

D. The binge eating occurs, on average, at least two days a week for six months.

E. The binge eating is not associated with the regular use of inappropriate compensatory behaviors (such as, purging, fasting, excessive exercise) and does not occur exclusively during the course of Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa.

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Last modified: June 28, 2004.

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