Fiducia TogetherBinge eating disorder
Also called BED
The most common eating disorder in the UK, and the one people are least likely to be offered help for.
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice, and it is not a diagnosis. If you are worried about your health or someone else's, speak to a GP, pharmacist, or call 111. In an emergency, call 999.
What it is
Binge eating disorder is the commonest eating disorder there is, and it took until 2013 to be recognised as a diagnosis in its own right. That delay tells you how it has been treated.
It means recurrent episodes of eating a large amount in a short time with a sense of loss of control, and without the compensating behaviours of bulimia. Binges are usually done alone, and followed by shame and disgust.
People with BED are frequently sent to weight management services instead of eating disorder services. Dieting then triggers more bingeing, because restriction is one of the reliable drivers of it, and the cycle deepens.
Signs you might notice
Eating much more rapidly than usual, and past the point of comfort.
Eating alone because of embarrassment about how much.
Food disappearing, wrappers hidden, secret stashes.
Intense guilt, shame and self-disgust afterwards.
Weight that may be anywhere, though many people with BED live in larger bodies and are treated for that rather than for the disorder.
How it can affect day-to-day life
Shame is the engine, and it is heavier here than in almost any other condition on this site, because society treats larger bodies as evidence of a character flaw.
Physical health suffers, and so does its treatment: people avoid healthcare because of how they expect to be spoken to, and that avoidance costs more than the bingeing does.
Depression and anxiety are common, and so is a history of dieting from childhood.
Supporting someone well
Do not suggest a diet. Restriction drives bingeing, and telling someone with BED to eat less is prescribing the trigger.
Eat regularly. Three meals and planned snacks, whether or not there has been a binge. Regularity reduces bingeing more reliably than willpower.
Do not comment on weight, food choices or portions.
Address the shame directly. Naming it as a recognised eating disorder rather than a failure of self-control changes how people engage.
Ask for guided self-help CBT, which NICE recommends first for adults with BED and which is genuinely effective.
Fiducia Life records feelings alongside the day, which helps identify what precedes a binge, since it is usually an emotional state rather than hunger.
Where to get help
Ask a GP for referral to an eating disorder service, not a weight management one, and say binge eating disorder by name.
Beat's helpline: 0808 801 0677.
If you are offered only weight loss support, ask for the NICE guideline NG69 recommendation to be applied.
Tools we make that might help
These are our own products. We have put them here because they do something specific for this condition, not because every page needs a list.
Fiducia Life
Feelings recorded alongside the day, which surfaces what actually precedes a binge.
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice, and it is not a diagnosis. If you are worried about your health or someone else's, speak to a GP, pharmacist, or call 111. In an emergency, call 999.