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Compulsive Eating Disorders-Reply
Susan Zelitch Yanovski, MD
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Bethesda, Md
Arch Fam Med. 1993;2(8):813-814.
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In reply
I thank Dr Barnes for addressing the problem of binge eating, also known as compulsive overeating, in obesity. While space considerations precluded my discussing binge eating in detail, it is clearly an important factor in the development and maintenance of obesity in many individuals. This has led the Amer
ican Psychiatric Association to recommend that a new eating disorder, binge-eating disorder, be included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, as a diagnostic category warranting further study.1
Binge eating of sufficient severity to warrant such a diagnosis affects only about 5% of obese individuals in the community who are not seeking weight-loss treatment. Its prevalence increases dramatically, however, with increasing severity of obesity and complexity of treatment sought, affecting approximately 30% of those enrolled in specialized weight loss treatment programs.2 Binge-eating disorder is associated with early onset of obesity, frequent weight cycling, and considerable
. . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]
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