This eating is much more rapid than usual and continues until the binge eater is uncomfortably full. If you have binge-eating disorder it will keep you from losing weight. While many people with this problem can lose some weight in the short term, it is almost impossible for them to keep the weight from returning. Because of their binge eating they often gain their weight back quite rapidly. The Extent of the Problem Early information on binge-eating disorder came from large field studies conducted in the early 1990s by Dr. Robert Spitzer and his colleagues at Columbia University.
Prevalence rates increase with the complexity of the problem.
More intensive, comprehensive programs conducted by universities, hospitals, and medical schools are found to have a prevalence of 30 percent. Approximately 70 percent of members of Overeaters Anonymous, a self-help group for overweight compulsive eaters, show characteristics of this disorder. Binge-eating disorder is found in men and women of all ages. Its prevalence is similar in various ethnic groups. Binge-eating disorder is not just eating too much from time to time.