SEVERNA PARK, Md., Sept. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Binge Eating Disorder Association, Inc., has been initiated to address the needs of those affected by binge eating disorder and those who provide treatment for affected individuals.
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Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder in the U.S., accounting for three times the number of those diagnosed with anorexia and bulimia together. Yet it is not as widely recognized, and it is not considered a distinct condition. At an estimated three percent of the population, binge eaters comprise the largest percentage of eating disordered individuals.
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"While several eating disorder advocacy groups exist, none focuses on the binge eating community, which makes up the largest contingent of eating disordered individuals," says Chevese Turner, BEDA chief executive officer. "BEDA will give these individuals the recognition and resources they desperately deserve to begin a safe journey toward a healthy recovery. We will also serve as a resource for providers of all kinds for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of the disorder. And we will establish strong connections among all our members and sister organizations, so everyone has access to the tools they need to live with, treat, and, ultimately, prevent the disorder."
Binge eating disorder is also one of the leading causes of obesity in the U.S. In fact, it is estimated that 25 percent of the people in this nation who are obese have binge eating disorder, and 75 percent of those with binge eating disorder are obese.
"One of our goals is to build a bridge between the binge eating disordered community and the obesity community, as so many of our issues are interrelated," says Turner. "With the obesity epidemic and related health issues, as well as increasing concern about its burdens to society and the health care industry, its time to focus on one of the little-known causes of this crisis and work toward finding a solution."
The disorder is characterized by a variety of symptoms and can have life-threatening consequences. Behavioral and emotional signs that individuals with the disorder typically exhibit include consuming large amounts of food -- up to 20,000 calories -- during a binge; eating when full; eating rapidly during a binge; frequent eating alone, at night, or in secret; hoarding food and hiding empty food containers; feeling depressed, disgusted, or upset about eating; feeling out of control; depression; and anxiety. Serious health complications that binge eating disorder may cause or be associated with include obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, gall bladder disease, cirrhosis, osteoarthritis, joint and muscle pain, gastrointestinal problems, depression, anxiety, and sleep apnea.
"Binge eating disorder is a complex, multifaceted disorder with many risk factors, causes, symptoms, and associated complications -- both psychological and physiological, that it cannot be easily treated with one or two treatment modalities," says Turner. "BEDA's first goal is to begin generating awareness of the disorder and champion for its own designation in the APA's DSM."
For more information about BEDA, visit www.bedaonline.org.
Binge Eating Disorder Association, Inc., (BEDA) is the international multidisciplinary provider and patient organization focusing on the unmet need for preventing, diagnosing, and treating binge eating disorder. BEDA is committed to facilitating awareness, quality of care, and recovery for those who live and those who work with binge eating disorder through education, resources, research, and best practice guidelines.
CONTACT:
Michelle Ervin
[email protected]
(443) 2
