Comorbidity and binge eating disorder

Abstract

Research in obesity has generally not demonstrated an association with increased rates of psychopathology compared to normal-weight comparison groups. However, studies of obese individuals from clinical samples with recurrent binge eating or binge eating disorder (BED) have generally revealed increased rates of psychiatric comorbidity compared to non-binge eating obese individuals. Also, several studies have reported finding an association between BED and elevated rates of psychological distress, social problems, and impaired self-esteem. This report provides an overview of research findings regarding psychiatric comorbidity among individuals with BED, and it presents suggestion for future research.