In Troubled Economy, Binge Eating Bites into Finances

"Even in times when the economy was much better, I have heard stories of people who have had to make decisions between buying medicines and bingeing," he says. "Unfortunately, I have heard of instances when bingeing wins out."

Bingeing at All Costs

Tish Lindberg, a 52-year-old eating disorder survivor who has been bulimia-free for the past 22 years, has firsthand familiarity with the impacts that binge eating can have on nearly every aspect of life.

But the Chapel Hill, N.C., woman still remembers her struggle to change her behaviors when it comes to food.

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"Every time I'd binge and purge I'd say, 'I'm not going to do it anymore,'" Lindberg said. "And then, of course, I'd do it again."

Her condition never sent her into dire economic straits, as she says she could always find the money to binge. But, she notes, "It had to be awful with my budget. Somehow I fit it into the budget to where I could eat like a pig at times. ... I found ways to make it work."

But the current steady rise in food prices could makes such adaptation difficult for other binge eaters. According to the latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost of food surged 6 percent in the 12 months leading up to September 2008. Among other personal expense categories, only the rise in transportation and energy costs exceeded this jump.

Worse, Bulik says that sensible adjustments to family budgets may even compound the problem for those with eating disorders.

"What [patients] are saying is that in order to save money, the family has made the very rational decision to join wholesale clubs like CostCo and Sam's Club to buy food in bulk because it's cheaper," she says. "Yet, having these foods around in bulk is a binge trigger.

"It's a whole new level of risk based on the financial considerations of the way people shop."

This guilt, says Bulik, can build upon the guilt that normally comes attached with these conditions.

"The way I'm hearing them say it is that this is just another layer of guilt," she notes. "Often they just feel guilty and ashamed about their illness. Now there is this additional layer of guilt: 'My disorder is actually impacting my family's budget for food or whether we will have enough money to buy Christmas presents.' That's the really sad part."