Binge eating disorder – etiopathogenesis, disease and treatment

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to develop an updated evidence-based database of binge eating disorder (BED) to bring clinicians closer to their nosological position in the classification of mental illnesses and disorders, etiopathogenesis, progression, prognosis and treatment offer.

Case description: Binge eating disorder is one of the most common eating disorders. The prevalence of BED in the general population is 2-5%, and among people with overweight or obesity – 30%. In the American Psychiatric Classification of DSM-5, a violent binge eating disorder is a separate disease, while the European ICD-10 classification is confused with: overeating related to other psychological factors. In the development of BED, apart from socio-cultural factors, biological, behavioral, cognitive, psychological, personality, temperamental, family and environmental factors are important. There is an increase in the incidence of eating disorders, including the BED, especially in those countries where the cult of lean body is present, the pace of life, the demands and the pressure of the environment are increasing. Gassing attacks are an attempt at relieving the increasing tension and point to the presence of emotional control disorder, leading to the development of self-destructive behaviors.

Comment: Prognosis for the people with BED is better than for other eating disorders. 50-80% of patients undergoing remission are affected. Psychotherapy or the combined treatment of psychotherapy with pharmacotherapy have better therapeutic effects compared to the use of only biological therapy. The authors of the study illustrate the course and treatment of the discussed disorder by an example of a characteristic clinical case.