Diagnosing binge-eating disorders is difficult; however, treating them can be easy. There are several factors that lead a person to suffer from binge-eating disorder. Binge-eating is defined as a habit of eating or munching anything uncontrollably without any sensation of hunger. People going through this disorder find themselves losing control over their constant eating habit. This often leads to several health-related complications, and therefore, becomes a serious issue. This disorder can affect anyone at any age and is regarded as a serious mental illness that needs to be treated.

Binge eaters are often unable to stop themselves from eating a large quantity of food over a short span of time.

This habit becomes a serious problem when one continues to eat even when binge-eating is not enjoyable anymore. This problem or disorder is often a result of multiple factors including psychological, biological, and environmental factors. Apart from health or medical issues, people who have a binge-eating disorder complain about anger, anxiety, boredom, sadness, and several other negative emotions. Doctors have linked this problem to pre-existing mental health disorders in people as almost 50% of people who suffer from binge-eating disorder have had a history of depression. For some people, binge-eating disorder can run in their families, thereby indicating their chances of developing this disorder in the future.

Medical science is trying to look for a possible abnormal functioning of the messengers of the brain that involve hormones that regulate the appetite. Doctors have also noticed that people with binge-eating disorder often come from families that overeat or give unnatural importance to food. People who use food as a reward or indulge in certain comfort foods to soothe themselves are more likely to fall prey to binge-eating disorder. Some psychiatric medications or other medications can also lead to an undesirable side effect that stimulates appetite and hampers the sense of being full after a meal, thereby leading to or initiating the binge-eating disorder.

Most people with this disorder often plan their binge-eating sessions and look forward to it. They are unable to control their urge of uncontrollably eating something they like for many hours. They generally eat in private, and therefore, the family members are often not aware of their condition, unless some serious symptoms are reflected in them.
There is rarely a singular cause of binge-eating disorder. Most cases of binge-eating disorder are due to a combination of factors, such as the following.

Biological factors
When a patient has a family history of a particular disorder, then that becomes the most probable cause of the patient’s condition. Irregularities of the hormones and genetic mutation related to food addiction also have links to binge-eating disorder. Researchers have also found a link between the low level of serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain, and binge eating.

Environmental factors
Someone who is easily influenced, impacted, and affected by the external factors such as social and cultural surroundings is often at an increased risk of developing this disorder. People who are often commented on, bullied, or body shamed fall into the habit of binge eating that later turns into a disorder. Doctors and rehabilitation center professionals often see that people with binge-eating disorder have a low self-esteem. In most cases, people with binge-eating disorders feel worthless about themselves as they face harsh comments from the society about their body.

Emotional factors
Most eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia have evident predisposing personality factors, however, binge-eating disorder does not have clear predisposing personality factors. Low self-esteem, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and assertiveness are some predisposing emotional factors of binge-eating disorder. Some other emotional factors include depression, intense feeling of worthlessness and inadequacy, and anxiety. People who have a poor self-image, are unable to respond well to stress or have inadequacy to deal with stress often indulge in binge eating that later turns into a disorder.

Hereditary or genetic factors
Medical evidence has proved that binge-eating disorders that run in the family can become a leading cause of the same in a person. An obese individual has family members who have or had binge-eating disorder is more likely to suffer from the same disorder as opposed to an obese individual who does not have a family history of binge-eating disorder.

Other factors and causes
There can be several other causes and factors that lead to binge-eating disorder in a person other than biological, personal, and environmental causes. Deaths, substance abuse, separation, tragedy, sexual or physical abuse, or other traumatic events can make a person indulge in binge eating to an extent that it turns into a disorder. Not all cases of binge-eating disorder are related to these factors, however, these have been links between these factors and the disorder.