DO YOU HAVE BINGE-EATING DISORDER: THE BED TEST WILL HELP YOU TO DETERMINE THIS

1. During the past six months, did you often eat, within any two-hour period, what most people would regard as unusually large amount of food?

Yes No

2. When you ate this way, did you often feel you could not stop eating or control what or how much you were eating?

Yes _No

3. During the past six months, how often, on average, did you eat this way—that is, large amounts of food plus feeling that your eating was out of control? (There may have been some weeks when it was not present—just average those in.)

_Less than one day a week

_One day a week

Two or three days a week

_Four or five days a week

_Nearly every day

4. Did you usually have any of the following experiences during these occasions?

• Eating more rapidly than usual?

_Yes _No

• Eating until you felt uncomfortably full?

_Yes _No

• Eating large amounts of food when you weren't physically hungry?

_Yes _No

• Eating alone because you were embarrassed?

_Yes _No

• Feeling disgusted with yourself, depressed, or guilty after overeating?

_Yes _No

How TO ANALYZE YOUR BED TEST ANSWERS

Question 1—Episodes of Binge Eating

If you have binge-eating disorder you would have answered Tes to this question. If you answered No, you are saying that you do not experience overeating episodes and, therefore, would not have a binge-eating problem.

Question 2—Loss of Control

People with binge-eating disorder would answer Tes to this question regarding feelings of lack of control over the impulse to eat. If you answered No, your overeating would not be considered binge eating since loss of control is a defining feature of this problem.

Question 3—Frequency of Binge Eating

The diagnosis of binge-eating disorder requires that you binge, on the average, two or more days a week. If your answer indicates that you binge only one day a week or less, you have a mild to moderate binge problem that is not frequent enough for you to be diagnosed with binge-eating disorder. However, if infrequent binge eating causes you distress or interferes with weight control, you would still benefit from the treatment program I outline in later chapters.

Question 4—Indicators of Loss of Control

This question lists the major indicators of impaired control over the impulse to eat. Marking Yes to three or more of these indicators shows that you fall within the binge-eating disorder diagnosis. If you answered Yes to only one or two of these, you have a milder binge-eating problem.

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