Binge-Eating Disorder

The American Psychiatric Association has developed provisional criteria for
binge-eating disorder in order to study this disorder more completely. The
criteria include compulsive and excessive eating at least twice a week for six
months without self-induced vomiting, purging, or excessive exercise. That
is, binge-eating disorder is bulimia nervosa without the compensatory weightloss
mechanisms. For this reason, most binge eaters are slightly to significantly
overweight. In addition to the eating problems, many binge eaters experience
relationship problems and have a history of depression or other
psychiatric disorders.