What differentiates binge eating disorder from anorexia and bulimia?

Binge eating disorder is characterized by episodes of eating large quantities of food, often accompanied by feelings of loss of control. Individuals with this disorder typically experience significant distress or guilt after these episodes. This emotional distress is a key differentiator from anorexia and bulimia.

In contrast to bulimia, where individuals engage in compensatory behaviors such as vomiting or excessive exercise after binge eating, individuals with binge eating disorder do not regularly use these methods to control their weight. Furthermore, unlike anorexia, which involves restrictive eating leading to extreme underweight, binge eating disorder does not necessarily result in underweight status; in fact, many individuals may be of normal weight or overweight.

Thus, the experience of guilt and emotional distress following binge episodes is a defining characteristic that helps differentiate binge eating disorder from these other eating disorders.