Binge Eating, also known as falászavar: what does it mean?

If we want to approach the eating disorder known in English as Binge Eating Disorder (BED) (in Hungarian: falászavar), it would sound as follows:

Falászavar is characterized by what are called binge episodes, which are uncontrollable eating episodes, during which the affected person consumes a large amount of food in a short time, often without being hungry. These episodes often occur due to stress, anxiety, depression, or other emotional factors. One of the most important features of these binges is that the person cannot control the eating, and the episodes are often associated with shame or guilt. These binges often happen in secret, as those affected are ashamed of this behavior.

A very common feature of the episodes is the preceding so-called urge talk (urge talk), which essentially prompts the person to give in to the momentary pleasure of binging. This talk almost always seems logical at the moment of compulsion, and the person perceives it as their own voice. However, this kind of internal monologue is not aligned with the person's actual goals/desires, but is a product of the brain's lower (more primitive) regions sending false signals. During the process, the brain's higher regions endow it with meaning and details that make these signals appealing to the person's conscious and reasoning self.

The urges, along with the associated urge talk, come through two relatively simple psychological mechanisms, one being the survival instinct and the other conditioning. The survival instinct is an adaptive response when our brain perceives danger, in this context, the danger arises from dieting. When we deprive our body of necessary calories for a prolonged period, our brain switches to a survival-oriented mode. Binge episodes are essentially the brain's healthy reactions, as it tries to make up for the shortfall.

Through conditioning, this otherwise natural process becomes an eating disorder, because once binge episodes have occurred multiple times, our brain demands and expects the next one. Eating, as mentioned above, is a stress-relieving, dopamine-releasing activity in the brain, thus binge episodes easily receive positive reinforcement, then become a maladaptive phenomenon in the person's life.

Falászavar differs from bulimia because there is no compensatory behavior following the binge episodes, such as vomiting or excessive exercise. In the long term, binge episodes carry significant health risks, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, or cardiovascular diseases.

Treatment usually consists of psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), along with the possible combination of medication therapy. The goal of the treatment is to explore the emotional and psychological causes that trigger the binge episodes, as well as to develop effective strategies for the individual to manage emotions, transform eating habits, and regain control.

 Source: Kathryn, H., (2016). Brain over Binge Recovery Guide. Camellia Publishing.