Binge Eating Disorder (BED) Guidelines

Updated: Jun 22, 2023
  • Author: Bettina E Bernstein, DO, DFAACAP, DFAPA; Chief Editor: David Bienenfeld, MD  more...
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Guidelines

Guidelines Summary

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) published guidelines for the treatment of eating disorders in February 2023. [59, 60] The guidelines recommend that screening for the presence of an eating disorder should be part of an initial psychiatric evaluation. The initial evaluation of a patient with a possible eating disorder should include assessment of multiple factors, including but not limited to, patient’s history of height and weight, eating-related behaviors, food repertoire, weight control behaviors, and family history. The evaluation should also identify co-occurring health conditions and psychiatric disorders.

Patients with binge-eating disorder (BED) should be treated with eating disorder–focused cognitive-behavioral therapy or interpersonal therapy, either individually or in a group. Adults with BED who prefer medication or have not responded to psychotherapy alone should be treated with either an antidepressant medication or lisdexamfetamine.