BINGE-EATING DISORDER AND THE NIGHT-EATING SYNDROME

OBJECTIVE: To determine in three samples of obese women the prevalence of two eating disorders - binge eating disorder and the night-eating syndrome. METHOD: Interviews utilizing standard criteria. For binge ea ting disorder: the consumption of large amounts of food in a discrete period of time together with a subjective sense of loss of control and no vomiting or laxative abuse, For the night-eating syndrome: morning anorexia, evening hyperphagia and insomnia, Determining the rate of b inging among patients receiving a placebo. SUBJECTS: (1) 102 viewers o f a television show describing binge eating disorder; (2) 50 participa nts in a trial of medication for this disorder and (3) 79 participants in a weight reduction program. RESULTS: In the television sample 19.6 % of respondents and in the weight reduction sample 7.6% met criteria for binge eating disorder; all subjects in the medication sample met c riteria, During a 4-week placebo period average binge frequency fell f rom 6.0 to 1.7 binges per week, The night-eating syndrome was manifest ed by 13.7% of the television sample, 8.9% of the weight reduction sam ple and 15.0% in the medication trial sample. There was little overlap between the two disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Binge eating disorder is far less frequent than has been believed on the basis of questionnaire stu dies and it is highly responsive to placebos. Frequency of the night-e ating syndrome is comparable to that of binge eating disorder. Future studies should assess binge eating disorder by interview rather than b y self-administered questionnaire.