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Binge Eating Causes vary, but there are usually a variety of contributing factors. Binge eating is caused by a number of factors that often affect one another. These include physiological factors (such as our brain chemistry), social and cultural factors (including the thin body ideal), dieting, and negative mood states. Dieting is a common cause of binge eating. Dieting involves setting rules about what to eat and when.
If those rules are occasionally broken, for example, by eating a food you are not allowed or eating more than you should, some people think that their diet is ruined. As a consequence, they eat all they want and plan to start their diet again the next day. Negative emotions are also common causes of binge eating. People often overeat as a way to make themselves feel better or to distract themselves from their problems.
A traumatic event, which may have taken place years before evidence of binge-eating symptoms, is often a cause. Such events may include:
- Sexual abuse or rape
- Emotional abuse
- Parents' divorce
- Death of a loved one
- Physical violence
Binge eating causes vary, but treatment is still a viable option for all people who struggle with eating disorders.
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