3. Myth: All You Need to Stop Binge Eating Disorder Is Willpower
Fact: “Willpower dominated the thinking for decades about obesity and eating disorders, but we now know that this is blaming the victim,” Bulik adds. She uses asthma as an analogy — blaming binge eating on a lack of willpower is like saying someone with asthma needs more willpower to breathe, Bulik says.
The truth is that BED is caused by a complex mix of biological, psychological, and environmental factors — and not a lack of willpower, Nagata says. It’s not possible to will it away, either. People often need professional treatment to recover from BED, he adds.
The most common evidence-based treatments for BED include psychotherapy (aka “talk therapy”), prescription medications like lisdexamfetamine (Vyvanse), and counseling with a registered dietitian nutritionist to help develop eating patterns that aid recovery, according to Cleveland Clinic.
4. Myth: Binge Eating Disorder Only Impacts People With Obesity
Fact: While compulsive overeating is one of many factors that can lead to weight gain, many people with BED don’t have overweight or obesity, Nagata says. Research suggests that 13 percent of people with BED don’t have obesity. “Binge eating doesn’t care what size you are,” Nagata says.
RELATED: Why Aren’t We Paying More Attention to Eating Disorders in People With Larger Bodies?
5. Myth: Dieting and Weight Loss Can Cure Binge Eating Disorder
Fact: Binges can be triggered by dieting and calorie restriction for some people, Nagata says. “Dieting can lead to feelings of deprivation and a greater focus on food, often triggering more binge eating,” he explains “This cycle of dieting and binge eating can also increase feelings of guilt and shame, adding to the emotional struggle of binge eating disorder.”
As mentioned earlier, the gold standard treatments for BED are a combination of psychotherapy, medication, or dietary counseling.
6. Myth: Only Adults Can Have Binge Eating Disorder
Fact: Although most people develop BED around age 21, per NIMH, research shows it can happen in kids and teens, too.
One study of more than 10,000 U.S. youths ages 9 to 14, published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders, showed that 6.6 percent of them reported at least some behaviors typical of BED, and 1.7 percent had received this diagnosis within 2 years after the study. Another study of young adults 18 to 24 years old found 7.3 percent of them had binge eating behaviors.
That said, kids and teens may not always be able to recognize the symptoms of BED in themselves, or articulate what they’re experiencing in a way that gets them formally diagnosed, Bulik says. It can be helpful for parents to ask their kids whether they feel like they lose control of how much they eat in one sitting, Bulik advises.
There are also often some common clues around the house. “Parents might find foods going missing, or lots of wrappers in the rubbish, or foods hidden in places where they are normally not stored like the night stand or the desk,” Bulik says.
7. Myth: Binge Eating Doesn’t Have Lasting Consequences
Fact: “Binge eating disorder is not benign,” says Bulik. Left untreated, some of the long-term health effects of BED can include weight gain and obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and mood disorders like depression, according to the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.
People with BED can also develop sleep problems, digestive issues, and joint and muscle pain over time, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). Beyond this, it can also interfere with their ability to do their usual daily activities and function in social settings, per NIDDK.
While obesity on its own can also contribute to some of the aforementioned health issues, frequent weight fluctuations due to alternating periods of fasting or restricting food and binge eating can also play a role, even among people without obesity, says Bulik.
8. Myth: Binge Eating Disorder Only Happens to Women, Not Men
The idea that eating disorders such as BED only happen to women and girls is a common stereotype, according to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA). In reality, men and boys account for 1 in 3 people with an eating disorder, per NEDA. Approximately 0.8 percent of U.S. men have BED, according to the NIMH.
Because of persisting stereotypes that only women develop eating disorders, men are much less likely to recognize symptoms of an eating disorder like BED in themselves and seek treatment for it, NEDA states.
