Binge Eating Disorder Case Study

The primary characteristics of binge eating disorder include eating, in a discrete period of time, an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances and a sense of lack of control over eating during the episode. Since binge eating disorder has many etiological factors, it is necessary to take an integrative approach when treating it. This involves incorporating a multidisciplinary team. It is also important to tailor the treatment to the individual’s needs. Therefore, the type of treatment used often depends on the individual’s goals and the clinician’s perspective. Another critical factor when attempting to treat binge eating disorder is recognizing, diagnosing,

The most widely used and empirically supported of these approaches is CBT. For this approach, the main focuses are moderation of food intake and reduction of binge eating episodes. CBT for binge-eating disorder also attempts to normalize eating and restructure maladaptive thoughts, beliefs, and values related to eating. In addition, exercising is promoted in order to reduce stress and increase energy expenditure. This treatment method also focuses on obesity education and calorie counting to promote a healthy diet. One alternative to CBT is behavioral weight loss therapy. This method has also been shown to be effective and actually results in higher weight loss than CBT. Lastly, interpersonal psychotherapy is another effective treatment for binge eating disorder. It emphasizes alleviating interpersonal distress and problems, such as social isolation. Pharmacotherapy is another popular treatment approach. This involves prescribing medications such as SSRIs and Vyvanse. The issue with this treatment is that when the use of medication stops, binge eating returns to baseline

The goal of sleep hygiene is to provide an outline of behaviors that promote sleep and behaviors that inhibit sleep. The behaviors that sleep hygiene recommends include being on a sleep schedule, going outside, having relaxing routines, exercising daily, and creating a comfortable sleep environment. The behaviors that sleep hygiene does not recommend are napping, using nicotine, caffeine, or alcohol, eating too much or too little, using electronics in bed, and lying in bed awake. Stimulus control supports many of these suggestions and emphasizes associating the bed with sleep using a classical conditioning approach. The main features of stimulus control involve limiting activities performed in bed, going to bed when tired, and making the environment comfortable and conducive to