Is binge eating experienced as an addiction?

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Addiction Research

Background:

• Binge eating disorder (BED) shares characteristics with addictive behaviors.
• The classification of BED as an addiction remains debated in clinical research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the extent to which binge eating disorder symptoms align with addiction criteria.
• To compare BED symptomology against established substance dependence and proposed addictive disorder frameworks.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 79 women diagnosed with current BED participated.
• Participants underwent a structured telephone interview assessing modified DSM-IV substance dependence criteria.
• Goodman's criteria for addictive disorder were also applied to evaluate symptom overlap.

Main Results:

• A significant majority (92.4%) of women with BED met modified DSM-IV criteria for substance dependence.
• A smaller proportion (40.5%) met Goodman's more stringent criteria for addictive disorder.
• Women meeting addictive disorder criteria reported more frequent binge eating episodes.

Conclusions:

• Binge eating disorder exhibits similarities to behavioral addictions.
• Despite symptom overlap, the study supports maintaining BED's classification as an eating disorder, not a primary addiction.