Prevalence During their lifetime, 4–5% of Americans will develop binge eating disorder; it is more prevalent than anorexia and bulimia combined. Up to 30% of people seeking weight loss treatments have binge eating disorder (Hudson et al., 2007). |
Comorbidity Almost 80% of people with binge eating disorder also have another psychological disorder (Hudson et al., 2007). |
Onset Binge eating disorder typically begins when people are in their 20s (Kessler et al., 2013). The onset of binge eating is often followed by strenuous dieting. |
Course Left untreated, people with binge eating disorder may cycle through periods of dieting followed by bingeing and weight gain. |
Gender Differences Almost twice as many women as men will be diagnosed with binge eating disorder. |
Cultural Differences In the United States, binge eating disorder is more common among Latinos and African-Americans than Whites (Marques et al., 2011). |
| Source: Unless otherwise noted, the source for information is American Psychiatric Association, 2013. |