When everything revolves around what you eat and how you look, it's difficult to enjoy normal activities and live life to its fullest. You may not even be able to enjoy a simple meal with family and friends, knowing it could trigger a full-fledged binge.

You may turn to binge eating as a way to cope with or ignore painful emotions or stress and anxiety. And then once you binge, you're ashamed, embarrassed and critical of yourself. Urges to eat may be too powerful to resist, even if you know you'll feel worse afterward.

Indeed, binge-eating disorder can exact a heavy toll. You may miss work or school, avoid social activities and have frequent health problems. And if you're overweight, you also have that emotional hardship to deal with.

If you're experiencing any of these problems, or if you think you may have an eating disorder, you'd probably benefit from a medical evaluation, which can help you get appropriate treatment. Because of its powerful pull, binge-eating disorder can be difficult to manage or overcome by yourself.

If you think your child may have an eating disorder, talk to him or her. Your child may not be ready to acknowledge having an issue about food, but you may be able to open the door by expressing concern and a desire to listen. You may also want to consider contacting your child's doctor about your concerns. You can get a referral to qualified professionals for treatment.