UNC eating disorders program sees increase in binge eating patients

With the rising price of junk food, more people are coming to a UNC program to solve their eating disorders.

The UNC Eating Disorders Program has experienced an increase of patients with binge eating disorders who feel guilty that they are wasting their family’s budget on binge foods, said Cynthia Bulik, program director.

“People with binge eating disorders feel out of control when they eat,” she said. “For some, they’re literally eating into their own food budget.”

Nationally, about 3.5 percent of women and 2 percent of men have the disorder, though most are unaware of the fact. Bingers eat excessively, then experience weight gain accompanied by guilt.

More patients than usual have joined the program in the past four weeks seeking consultations and therapy, Bulik said.

“What started out as a trickle has suddenly become a tsunami,” she said.

Bulik cited one family that was afraid their holiday budget would be compromised by their depleting food budget.

Before the economic downturn, Bulik said she heard stories of patients whose binge eating led to shame and weight gain. But now she hears more experiences about how expensive foods have become.

“Binge eating disorder is not cheap nowadays,” Bulik wrote on the UNC Health Care blog. “Just like the price of a pack of cigarettes has gone up, so has the price of binge foods.”

The rapidly approaching holiday season is also a contributor to binge eating disorder. The holidays provide a wider variety of  “high-risk foods” at parties, which can trigger a binge, Bulik said.

A binge differs from overeating in its negative psychological effects, in addition to its physiological effects.

“A binge is where you eat five Oreos, figure, ‘I’ve blown it anyway,’ then decide to finish the bag while you’re at it,” Bulik said. “It’s all about the feeling of guilt that comes with it.”

Like other eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, binge eating is treated at the UNC Eating Disorders Program in both individual and group therapy sessions.

The goal of the treatment is to curb negative thoughts associated with eating disorders.

“We’re trying to get people to eat five Oreos, then decide to put on their sneakers and go for a run instead of finishing the bag,” Bulik said.



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