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Review
. 2009 Nov;42(7):603-10.
doi: 10.1002/eat.20726.

Frequency of binge eating episodes in bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder: Diagnostic considerations

G Terence Wilson  1 , Robyn Sysko
Affiliations
Review

Frequency of binge eating episodes in bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder: Diagnostic considerations

G Terence Wilson et al. Int J Eat Disord. 2009 Nov.

Abstract

Objective: In DSM-IV, to be diagnosed with Bulimia Nervosa (BN) or the provisional diagnosis of Binge Eating Disorder (BED), an individual must experience episodes of binge eating is "at least twice a week" on average, for 3 or 6 months, respectively. The purpose of this review was to examine the validity and utility of the frequency criterion for BN and BED.

Method: Published studies evaluating the frequency criterion were reviewed.

Results: Our review found little evidence to support the validity or utility of the DSM-IV frequency criterion of twice a week binge eating; however, the number of studies available for our review was limited.

Discussion: A number of options are available for the frequency criterion in DSM-V, and the optimal diagnostic threshold for binge eating remains to be determined.

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