Binge eating disorder in relation to obsessive-compulsive disorder and food addiction

Abstract

Introduction. Binge eating disorder, as a fairly new disorder, has recently been added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5, and it is characterized by recurrent and frequent episodes of eating large quantities of food in a short time frame. The aim of this study was to associate binge eating disorder with obsessive-compulsive disorder and food addiction, which is crucial for understanding and appropriate treatment of patients. Material and Methods. We reviewed the literature from PubMED database from January 2000 to May 2021 using the keywords: binge eating disorder, binge eating disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, binge eating disorder and food addiction, and food addiction, in both English and German language. Results. Binge eating disorder, as part of the cycle of obsessive-compulsive disorder, may be considered obsessive thinking about weight, appearance or bad mood, where hunger and satiation is replaced by compulsion and loss of control, ritual eating, and secret eating. Furthermore, binge eating disorder may cause food addiction and this paper shows that addiction to high sugar and high fat products can lead to addiction behavior by habituation of certain points in the dorsal nucleus. This division is of major importance to establish proper treatment protocols. Conclusion. Binge eating disorder is closely related to obsessive-compulsive disorder and addiction to behavior and substances. Further research should focus on identifying the largest subtypes and classifications of binge eating disorder.