Defining eating disorder recovery: A qualitative approach

Abstract

Binge eating disorder (BED) is a new eating disorder warranting further research due to the relatively high-prevalence and limited research on the subject of recovery, particularly from a qualitative standpoint. Qualitative methods were used to analyze secondary data from pro-recovery internet message boards in order to investigate the changes in thinking and motivation of binge-eating disorder sufferers who were able to recover from the disorder, to understand more fully how guilt and self-blame play a role in hindering recovery, and to explore the perceived challenges to recovery among persons with BED. Five “changes in thinking” emerged from qualitative analysis of Grace on the Moon message board postings, many of which are supported in the literature regarding eating disorder recovery. These changes include changes in the way participants think about themselves, the way they think about food, the way they cope with pain and difficulty, and the way they view their experiences and their perception of their own disorder. Further analysis of the postings suggested that guilt and self-blame hinder recovery by promoting a cycle of binging which leads to guilt and self-blame, which leads to restricting food intake, which creates a feedback loop and leads to more binge eating. The data ultimately identified several experiences that resulted from seeking recovery that resulted in or hindered recovery. Validation was one of these experiences which appeared to result in recovery by putting participants in a position in which they were less inclined to engage in disordered eating behaviors. Conversely, weight loss or attempts at weight loss appeared to hinder recovery by ultimately promoting more disordered eating behaviors.