Experiences of living with binge eating disorder and facilitators of recovery processes: a qualitative study

Marit Fjerdingren Bremer; Lisa Garnweidner-Holme; Linda Nesse; Marianne Molin

doi:10.1186/s40337-023-00929-2

Experiences of living with binge eating disorder and facilitators of recovery processes: a qualitative study

J Eat Disord. 2023 Nov 14;11(1):201. doi: 10.1186/s40337-023-00929-2.

Authors

Marit Fjerdingren Bremer¹, Lisa Garnweidner-Holme², Linda Nesse^{1

3}, Marianne Molin^{4

5}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Public Health Science, Faculty of Landscape and Society, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1433, Ås, Norway.
² Department of Nursing and Health Promotion, Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo Metropolitan University, P.O. Box 4, St. Olavs Plass, 0130, Oslo, Norway. lgarnwei@oslomet.no.
³ SERAF, Norwegian Centre for Addiction Research, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
⁴ Department of Nursing and Health Promotion, Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo Metropolitan University, P.O. Box 4, St. Olavs Plass, 0130, Oslo, Norway.
⁵ Department of Health and Exercise, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kristiania University College, Oslo, Norway.

Abstract

Background: Binge eating disorder (BED) is the most prevalent eating disorder worldwide. BED is often associated with low quality of life and mental health problems. Given the complexity of the disorder, recovery may be challenging. Since BED was only recently specified as a diagnostic category by the World Health Organization (2021), little is known about how patients experience living with BED in everyday life. This study aimed to explore how patients experience living with BED and to investigate factors perceived as facilitating recovery.

Method: Individual interviews were conducted with six patients in a rehabilitation programme for recovery from BED. Interviews were conducted digitally and verbally transcribed between December 2020 and January 2021. The analysis was based on Malterud's systematic text condensation.

Results: Being diagnosed with BED could be experienced as a relief. The participants perceived living with BED as a challenging addiction. They struggled with a low self-image and experienced a lack of understanding from others, resulting in shame. Self-compassion and social support from friends and family and through participation in a rehabilitation programme were important facilitators of recovery.

Conclusion: Participants perceived living with BED as a challenging addiction. They struggled with low self-esteem and experienced a lack of understanding from others, resulting in shame. Being diagnosed with BED was perceived as a relief. They appreciated that issues related to mental health were addressed during rehabilitation to better understand the complexity of BED. Knowledge about BED, as well as the difficulties of living with BED among family members and friends might help patients with BED feel less ashamed of their disorder and could thus contribute to increased self-compassion.

Keywords: Binge eating disorder; Eating disorders; First-person perspectives; Lived experience; Qualitative study; Recovery.

Plain language summary

We interviewed six patients with binge eating disorder (BED) about their experiences living with BED, which is the most prevalent eating disorder worldwide. However, difficulties diagnosing patients with BED and a lack of knowledge about BED among healthcare professionals make it challenging to provide patients with appropriate help to recover from BED. The participants in our study participated in a rehabilitation programme for BED. They experienced living with BED as a challenging addiction. Low self-image and others’ lack of understanding made the individuals ashamed of their eating disorders. Self-compassion and social support through taking part in the rehabilitation programme were important facilitators of recovery. This study indicates that more knowledge about BED among family members, friends and healthcare professionals and social support are notable facilitators for recovering from BED.