Afterword

The following dialogue takes place in an eating disorders clinic at an academic medical center, in the present time. The telephone rings. Research Assistant

Hello, Eating Disorders Treatment Research Program, RA speaking.

Caller

Hello, this is C. I’ve been struggling for more than 20 years with a terrible binge eating problem. You may remember me – I called your clinic back in 1990, and you had nothing to offer me. I’m still having exactly the same problems that I was having back then. Has anything gotten better in the meantime?

RA

I’m glad you called back, C, and I’m sorry you’ve been suffering for so long. I’m happy to say that the situation has indeed improved. For starters, we now have a name for what you have. It’s called binge eating disorder, or BED, and we’ve developed a number of different treatment approaches, including different forms of psychotherapy, medication, and even self-help approaches. We’ll need to meet with you to find out exactly what your goals are and what type of approach would be most helpful.

C

I’m glad I’m not the only person who has this problem.

RA

Far from it. Many people have had and continue to have similar

problems. It’s taken us a long time for us to realize what many of our colleagues in clinical practice have known for decades: that BED is a distinct problem and individuals with BED deserve help that is tailored to their particular struggles.

C

I wish I could say that I’d been able to figure out a way to get myself better in all this time, but I haven’t. Why has this been such a difficult problem for me?

RA

Well, there are a lot of elements that can contribute in any given person – genetic risk factors, your individual experience, and the world we live in all play a role. The one thing I want to emphasize is that it’s not due to a lack of will power.

C

That’s a relief. I feel like I have a lot of will power in general, but this is something I just haven’t been able to beat. So there are really other people out there with these kinds of problems?

RA

You bet, and there are organizations that bring together researchers who are interested in BED with people who have suffered or are currently suffering with the problem, family members, clinicians, and anyone who wants to make the make the world a place where we can all lead healthier lives and feel better about ourselves and each other.

C

That’s great, because I’m not just interested in getting help. I’m interested in helping. I want to get better and I also want to make sure that others don’t have to go through this. When can I come in? Thanks to this conversation I feel like, at last, I’m ready to start.