SUBJECTIVE OR OBJECTIVE BINGE - IS THE DISTINCTION VALID

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the validity of the di stinction between objective and subjective binge episodes. Method: Dat a were analyzed from 101 women who received 12 weeks of cognitive-beha vioral therapy (CBT) for binge eating in a previous treatment study. B inges recorded by participants on daily food records were rated as eit her subjective or objective according to the Eating Disorder Examinati on rating guidelines. Unpaired t tests were performed to determine the relationship between type of binge, psychopathology, and other descri ptive measures, including response to treatment. Results: These analys es revealed no significant differences between types of binge episodes . Of note is the observation that objective binge episodes appeared to decrease more rapidly than subjective episodes during treatment. Disc ussion: Future research should continue to investigate whether ''large amount of food'' is an appropriate criterion for the diagnosis of bin ge eating. (C) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.