Does Binge Eating Disorder Come and Go?

Binge-eating disorder is a mental health condition in which you tend to tend to eat large amounts of food and feel unable to stop yourself. Although it was previously thought that binge-eating disorder is transient, researchers have found that the condition can last more than 5 years for many people. Many patients may also relapse during remission.

Binge-eating disorder comes and goes like episodes. It affects about 1-3% of US adults, making it a significant problem as patients may gain excess weight, leading to other health problems.

However, binge-eating disorder usually improves with time. At any rate, it's good to know how long binge eating may last and the likelihood of relapse so we can better care for patients and they can be more informed about their condition.

What is the relapse rate for binge-eating disorder?

The researchers monitored 137 adults with binge-eating disorder for 5 years. After 2.5 years, 61% of the patients still had full-blown binge-eating disorder, while others had symptoms but not enough to be diagnosed. After 5 years, 46% of patients still experienced binge-eating disorder, while 23% had symptoms not severe enough to be diagnosed.

It gets interesting.

After 5 years, 35% of patients recovering from binge-eating disorder had relapsed.

Interesting, but quite worrisome, too.

Read the full research here.

Binge-eating disorder treatment

While many people do not take binge-eating disorder as seriously as other mental illnesses, we need to treat it proactively as it can cause obesity and other health problems. Plus, in the study, many of the participants were not on treatment. So, the findings on time-course and relapse likelihood are representative of people who do not treat their binge-eating disorder.

Treating binge-eating disorder may make it go away faster and prevent relapse. So, if you're experiencing the symptoms of binge-eating disorder, it's best to get treatment as soon as possible.

Medication is one of the best treatments for binge-eating disorder.

And we can help.

At Hope Mental Health, we provide safe, effective psychiatric care for binge-eating disorder in Boise & Meridian, Idaho, SLC & the Wasatch Front, Utah. Also serving OR, AZ, NV, WA & FL.

Author

Satu H. Woodland, PMHCNS-BC, APRN Satu Woodland is owner and clinician of Hope Mental Health, an integrative mental health practice located at Bown Crossing in Boise, Idaho. She sees children, adolescents, and adults. Ms. Woodland with her background in nursing, prefers a holistic and integrative approach to mental health care that addresses the mind and body together. While Ms. Woodland provides medication management services in all her patients, she believes in long-lasting solutions that include a number of psychotherapies, namely cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure and response prevention therapy, attention to lifestyle, evidenced based alternative psychiatric care and spirituality. If you’d like to gain control over your mental health issues, call Hope Mental Health at 208-918-0958, or use the online scheduling tool to set up an initial consultation.