Beyond the Binge: Unveiling the Longevity of Binge-Eating Disorder

Binge-eating disorder (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
The natural course of binge-eating disorder: findings from a prospective, community-based study of adults

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), the most common eating disorder in the United States, has presented conflicting views on its duration and relapse likelihood in previous studies.

Binge-Eating Disorder Remission Assumptions

However, a recent five-year study led by investigators from McLean Hospital reveals that 61% and 45% of individuals still experience the disorder 2.5 and 5 years after diagnosis, respectively. These findings challenge earlier prospective studies suggesting quicker remission times.

“The big takeaway is that binge-eating disorder does improve with time, but for many people it lasts years,” said first author Kristin Javaras, DPhil, PhD, assistant psychologist in the Division of Women’s Mental Health at McLean. “As a clinician, oftentimes the clients I work with report many, many years of binge-eating disorder, which felt very discordant with studies that suggested that it was a transient disorder. It’s very important to understand how long binge-eating disorder lasts and how likely people are to relapse so that we can better provide better care.”

The results were published in Psychological Medicine, published by Cambridge University Press.

Reference:

1. The Natural Course of Binge-Eating Disorder: Findings from a Prospective, Community- Based Study of Adults – (https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/abs/natural-course-of-bingeeating-disorder-findings-from-a-prospective-communitybased-study-of-adults/EF7AE6C47EE7E3AA5A9FE0D6126E3EBD)

Source-Eurekalert