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Frequency of binge eating episodes in bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder: Diagnostic considerations
Author(s) -
Wilson G. Terence,
Sysko Robyn
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/eat.20726
Subject(s) - bulimia nervosa , binge eating , binge eating disorder , psychology , psychiatry , eating disorders , clinical psychology
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. © 2009 American Psychiatric Association. Int J Eat Disord 2009