Why The Stigma Around Binge Eating Disorder Needs To Be Broken
trigger warning: eating disorders
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Eating disorders, like all mental illnesses, are stigmatised experiences that doesn’t discriminate and can impact people of all genders, ethnicities, ages, and backgrounds. During the pandemic, eating disorder cases have skyrocketed in the UK and around the globe, with both youth and adult cases spiking.
But the most often neglected, and statistically the most under-treated, eating disorder is Binge Eating Disorder, otherwise known as BED. Previously included in the EDNOS (Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified) category until recent years, BED is recognised as a standalone mental illness in the fifth edition of the DSM (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). Most comparable to bulimia, BED involved the same intense, uncontrollable episodes of binge-eating, but without the compensatory behaviours most commonly associated with bulimia.
It’s believed that BED is way more common than statistics and research shows, as a result of those who suffer opting out of pursuing treatment out of shame or embarrassment. But why is BED treated so differently in comparison to other eating disorders?
Largely, binge eating is considered by society as a weakness to overindulge, as opposed to uncontrollable, certainly not enjoyable, episodes that leads to feelings of guilt, disgust, and shame. These episodes can happen for a number of reasons, from anxiety to anger, despite the incorrect notion that binge eating is an avoidable act that stems from greed or gluttony. This misconception alone paints a very different picture of the true reality of Binge Eating Disorder.
It can’t be ignored that to some extent, the glamorisation of eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia, in popular culture, Hollywood and so on, allows disorders that sit outside of those goalposts to fall by the wayside. And even when issues such as binge eating arise in these environments, it is often met with a very different tone, that of villainisation or mocking. The impact of popular culture alone allows room for ignorance, lack of information (not to mention, misinformation) and further maintains the stereotypes that we see being frequently perpetuated.
In contrast to its other ED counterparts, a common side effect of BED is weight gain, rather than weight loss often displayed in cases of anorexia and bulimia – though it’s important to note that not everyone with BED experiences this. The weight gain aspect of BED plays an important part of its stigmatisation, as it feeds into society’s fatphobic narrative. The way that society views fatness and weight gain ultimately encourages those struggling with BED to mask their condition as much as possible, and makes them way less inclined to confide in their GP or reach out for support elsewhere.
And so, as this eating disorder remains shrouded in stigma, countless people won’t have the confidence or assurance to get the vital treatment that they need. We need to stop treating this illness with any less consideration as other eating disorders. We need to stop ignoring the severity of it, and fix the narrative and attitudes that keep those suffering in the shadows, isolated by their shame. All eating disorders are dangerous, and none of them should be overlooked or played down by society’s messaging that dictates what bodies are good bodies, and who does and doesn’t deserve help. All people living with eating disorders are worthy of recovery, and they shouldn’t have to deal with it on their own.
If you think you may be suffering with BED (or are currently dealing with any other eating disorder) and are in need of some help, our Resources can point you in the right direction for support. You are not alone.
Image credit: Finn
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