Unlike other eating disorders, individuals suffering with binge eating disorder do not fast, purge or engage in strenuous exercise after food consumption. Contrary to popular belief such individuals do not spend time fantasising about food and are not obsessed or addicted to eating. The binge eating episodes usually follow feelings of sadness, anger or boredom.
Individuals suffering from various types of eating disorder such as this frequently exhibit feelings of shame, guilt and embarrassment about food. They often eat alone to avoid the disorder being discovered.
There is no lone concrete explanation for developing an eating disorder, but is linked to other psychiatric disorders such as depression and obsessive compulsive disorder. Emotional deregulation and high impulsivity are common triggers in such individuals.