Binge eaters may be mentally ill.

Most obese Americans are as mentally healthy as other people in the general population, but obese individuals who suffer from binge eating disorder (BED) are more likely to have another mental illness as well. People with BED feel a loss of control over what or how much they eat while binge eating and, even when not hungry, often overeat to the point of discomfort. The disorder affects two percent of the general population and 30% of those in medically supervised weight control programs. Feelings of shame and guilt about binge eating often lead people with BED to eat in secret.

BED is distinct from other, more well-known eating disorders such as bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa, which are characterized by an obsessive preoccupation with body image. People with bulimia nervosa binge eat, but rarely are overweight. To avoid weight gain, they usually purge through self-induced vomiting or engage in other drastic methods of losing weight such as fasting, excessive exercise, or use of laxatives. Anorexia nervosa can be life-threatening, as people with this disorder believe they are overweight even when they are far below normal weight and may starve themselves to death.

According to Susan Z...