Binge Eating Disorder Treatment
Learn about binge eating disorder, the signs and symptoms, and our approach to binge eating disorder treatment at Opal.
What is binge eating disorder?
- A mental health condition with complex origins.
- Binge eating is defined as eating an abnormally large amount of food in a very short period of time and feeling out of control.
- Someone struggling with binge eating disorder has recurrent binge eating episodes.
- The feelings of being out of control while binge eating could be experienced in one’s pace of eating, response to one’s hunger/ fullness, location of eating, and amount of food.
- Emotional distress is present.
- No regular compensatory behaviors are used.
What are the signs and symptoms?
Although one could struggle with many of the above signs and symptoms of binge eating disorder it can be sometimes difficult to identify when you or someone you love is struggling. A change in one’s patterns, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors with food, weight and exercise could be a sign of something more serious going on. Due to so many culturally normative values around weight and health binge eating disorder can be difficult to detect. We encourage having a professional that specializes in eating disorders help you or your loved one get clarity on what is really going on. If you would like to get more information on supporting a loved one, see our advice.
What you might not know about Binge Eating.
- You cannot tell someone is struggling with Binge Eating by looking at them. Body weight may or may not change due to the eating disorder.
- Many people that struggle with binge eating have had a long history of dieting which leads to a deeply ingrained restrictive approach to food and eating.
- It’s the most common eating disorder in the United States.
Check your biases!
Binge Eating can be life-threatening for anyone that is experiencing it, regardless of body size, race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender, sexual orientation, age, ability, religion.
Opal's Approach to the Treatment of Binge Eating Disorder
The treatment of binge eating disorder is individualized. We take a holistic approach to treatment that allows for healing to be done in community and in individual sessions. We believe eating disorders develop to serve a function for an individual. Opal’s staff come alongside our clients to better understand those “whys” and find new ways to cope and live life without an eating disorder. We offer three levels of care at our Seattle clinic. Overall, our treatment model includes:
- Individual therapy, nutrition counseling, psychiatry, exercise experientials and family/relationship therapy available at the PHP and IOP levels of care.
- Health at Every Size, weight-neutral treatment approach
- Non-diet approach to food. Meals and snacks provided offer a wide variety of foods (highly processed, fresh, organic, non-organic, home-cooked, frozen, easy to prepare, etc.)
- Eating at meals and snacks are done with other clients and staff, as a community.
- A belief that adequate food intake is a foundational step in recovery.
- Exercise + Sport programming, which addresses exercise bulimia, exercise avoidance, and other exercise concerns
- Radically Open Dialectical Behavioral Therapy as a foundational treatment
- Group therapy including body wisdom group, movement group, self-inquiry, process groups, facing fears and more.
- Teaching/Didactic groups including Radically Open Dialectical Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Exercise + Sport Didactic, Health at Every Size Didactic, etc.
- Non-clinical lodging for PHP clients to use while in treatment, for a weekly fee, as space allows.
- Alumni Outpatient groups