Binge-Eating Disorder (307.51

abuse is a common comorbidity with bulimia with a third of all bulimics having alcoholism.

PTSD is another common comorbidity.

There are physical aspects and side effects to living with bulimia nervosa. These include blood

sugar imbalances, nausea, vomiting, bloating, constipation, and abdominal pain. Hormones can

be affected and sex hormones can decrease, leading to osteoporosis. There may be a decrease

in thyroid hormones, affecting metabolism.

There is no particular cure for bulimia but it can be treated. Therapy, medications, nutritional counseling, and medical/psychiatric monitoring need to take place. Treatment includes

cognitive-behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, dialectical behavioral

therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy, and family-based therapy. SSRIs are commonly used

to treat things like depression, anxiety, and social phobia. Tricyclic antidepressants and

topiramate can be used to decrease bingeing and purging cycles. About half of patients are

symptom-free after five years following initiation of treatment.

BINGE-EATING DISORDER (307.51)

This is an eating disorder that has compulsive overeating as the main symptom. The patient

will eat long after they are full and when they aren’t even hungry. There are no purging

behaviors; the patients may be normal weight, slightly overweight, and even obese. This is a

new diagnosis under the DSM-V and involves a lack of self-control, usually starting in

adolescence or early adulthood. Self-esteem and other psychological factors differentiate it

from simple overeating. The episodes can occur several times per day or for several hours in

any given day.

Patients often have self-hatred over their inability to control their eating habits. The patient

will often feel uncomfortably full and will be anxious or depressed, often refusing to eat in front

of others. They will often say that they will diet after an episode and return to their destructive

patterns of eating shortly after they quit eating. The patient often denies their behavior and

lives in secrecy, being ashamed of their behavior. There is no simple diagnosis for the disorder