ONSET OF BINGE-EATING, DIETING, OBESITY, AND MOOD DISORDERS AMONG SUBJECTS SEEKING TREATMENT FOR BINGE-EATING DISORDER

Binge eating disorder (BED) identified in adulthood is often clinicall y associated with obesity and a lifetime history of affective disorder s. Several authors have suggested that dieting may predispose individu als to binge eating which then may lead to obesity. However, few BED s tudies have examined the chronology of the onset of binge eating, diet ing obesity, and mood disorders. This study evaluated retrospective re ports from 30 women participating in a BED treatment study. Although t he majority of subjects in this adult sample were obese, initiation of binge eating behavior usually occurred during adolescence at a time w hen most subjects reported being of normal weight. Obesity developed s everal years after the age of onset of meeting BED criteria. Onset of binge eating usually predated that of dieting or major depressive diso rder in the majority of subjects. The results support the importance o f early intervention for binge eating. (C) 1995 by John Wiley and Sons , Inc.