Case Studies On Binge Eating

The client presents with a history of binge eating behaviors since childhood. She states that during her youth there was contention in the home due to both her weight and eating habits. This was in addition to societal pressures and teasing from her peers during her formative years. The client recalls shame surrounding her eating, and an inability to stop. Due to the feelings of shame and guilt stemming from her inability to stop eating, the client reports that she ate in private often. Andrea Simpson described her “binge eating” as beginning in college where she states that after she lost forty pounds by dieting. She would alternate between periods of excessive eating and dieting. Andrea stated that when she ate in secret, she would
She attempted therapy, but was suggested to diet, an ineffective solution to her binging. After her divorce Andrea did attempt diets and restrictive methods to lose weight, including substance use. The client reports a constant preoccupation with food, planning to eat, and the desire to eat constantly. She reports that in adulthood her longest binge lasted ten months and she felt “out of control,” often eating to the point where there was nothing left and she felt sick to her stomach. During that time Andrea stated she gained ninety pounds and felt ashamed and depressed. She would avoid eating in front of others, and did not have any meal structure or feelings of hunger, as she was always eating. Based on the clinical presentation of the client, an appropriate diagnosis would be F50.8, Binge Eating Disorder, or BED (DSM-V, 2013). As of yet, it is unclear the current severity based on the lack of knowledge about the occurrence of binges currently, but the client is neither in partial or full remission. The following diagnostic criterion are met for this
In the case of Andrea, her divorce and adverse experiences in youth concerning her weight would qualify as adverse life events (Beidel, Frueh, & Hersen, 2014, p. 491). While there are variations in response to the perceived severity of the stressful life events, traumatic events have been found to be associated with BED (p.492). Using talk therapy from a trauma-centered perspective could be valuable over medication as the counselor-client relationship can focus on the whole