NEDA Hotline

In 1959, psychiatrist Albert Stunkard wrote a paper describing binge eating disorder. At the time, binge eating disorder was not named – but Stunkard described it as an eating pattern that involved consuming an excessive amount of food at irregular times. He described this eating pattern as one that usually happened at night. Eventually, “binge-eating” became the term used to describe excessive eating, no matter what time of day it occurred.

Let’s talk history. Before the 1950s, binge-eating would have been hard for the average person to achieve – most people did not have the ability to purchase more than one meal at a time. As the standard of living increased during the 1950s and into the 1960s, eating disorders such as binge-eating disorder and bulimia nervosa became more common.

In the 1960s, appetite-suppressing stimulants became readily available. Stimulants increase the presence of dopamine and noradrenaline in the brain, which work to suppress the appetite. People undiagnosed with BED have experienced relief from stimulant use, because they suppress the symptoms of binge-eating disorder. It’s important to note that Adderall, Ritalin, and Concerta are not FDA-approved for treating binge-eating disorder, and stimulants do not replace the value of a treatment center for recovery.

The 1970s brought an influx of eating disorder diagnoses to the medical community. This is probably because of the “supermodel-thin ideal,” that was first introduced in the late 1970s to early 1980s. Binge-eating disorder diagnoses increased during this time period, as well as rates for obesity. Low-fat diets and weight management started to become much more popular amongst the public.

Karen Carpenter was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa in 1982, which, although not BED, brought much-needed public attention to eating disorders at this time.

In 1987, the APA (American Psychiatric Association) mentioned binge-eating disorder for the first time in its DSM. However, it was listed as a subcategory of bulimia nervosa.

In the 1990s, many different types of serotonin inhibitors were released, with the intent of treating depression and anxiety. SSRIs were also known to be effective in treating OCD. Today, there are multiple SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) used to treat BED, including Paxil, Zoloft, Luvox, and Celexa.

1994 was the year when BED was officially classified under EDNOS in the APA’s DSM-4.

In 2001, NEDA (National Eating Disorder Association) was formed. This is the largest nonprofit for eating disorder treatment to date established in the United States. NEDA encouraged treatment providers to focus on the whole person instead of just zoning in on the eating disorder. Here, we start to see the beginning of language like “___ is experiencing an eating disorder” rather than “____ has an eating disorder.” It’s separating the person from the condition – otherwise known as “person-first” mentality.

BEDA (The Binge-Eating Disorder Association) was founded in 2008. This nonprofit’s focus is treating and supporting individuals experiencing binge-eating disorder.

In 2013, BED was formally recognized in the DSM-5. This was the first instance where binge-eating disorder was recognized as a condition entirely separate from other types of eating disorders. This was major, because it enabled individuals experiencing BED to receive treatment covered by insurance. Before this, medical professionals thought of BED as a condition connected to obesity, but not a separate, distinct condition.

Today, eating disorder treatment centers offer treatment for binge-eating disorder. Binge eating disorder is characterized by frequent intake of large amounts of food, combined with the feeling of being out-of-control. There is also a stigma surrounding binge-eating disorder, where people often feel shame surrounding the symptoms of their condition – overeating, feeling unable to stop.

The distinction between bulimia nervosa and BED is that people with BED do not binge-eat and then purge their food intake. 1.6% of teenagers are diagnosed with BED today.