Tennis Star Monica Seles Partners with Shire to Raise Awareness of Binge Eating Disorder in Adults

B.E.D. is a distinct medical condition recognized by the American Psychiatric Association. It is a more common eating disorder than anorexia and bulimia combined, affecting an estimated 2.8 million US adults, according to a national survey.* B.E.D. is characterized by regularly eating far more food than most people would eat in a similar time period, with binges taking place on at least a weekly basis for three months. Adults with B.E.D. feel that their eating is out of control during a binge and find binges very upsetting, among other symptoms. B.E.D. is more than overeating and, unlike other eating disorders, people with B.E.D. don’t routinely try to “undo” their excessive eating with extreme actions like purging or over-exercising. B.E.D. occurs in both men and women.

“There is a misconception that adults with B.E.D. fit a certain profile” said Monica Seles. “I felt ashamed about my binge eating for so long, and my hope is that hearing the stories of people like me, and having information about the disorder more publicly available, may help inspire other adults to get the support they need.” Seles also wrote about her experience in her book, Getting a Grip: On My Body, My Mind, My Self.

The national campaign is also supported by the efforts of Sunny Sea Gold, author of Food: the Good Girl’s Drug. “It wasn’t until I started getting help that I really understood that B.E.D. is not a personality issue, but a real, medical disorder affecting many adults,” said Sunny Sea Gold. “This empowered me to start having productive conversations with my family and my health care providers.”

The campaign website, BingeEatingDisorder.com, features information about B.E.D. and how to recognize the symptoms, its potential causes, experiences of others with B.E.D., including a series of public service announcements (PSAs), and tips for how to raise the topic with health care providers and loved ones. “We are proud to be joined by such a great team of partners to provide education for adults who may have B.E.D.,” said Perry Sternberg, Head of Shire’s Neuroscience Business Unit. “Shire’s focus on awareness of B.E.D. in adults is part of our ongoing commitment to meeting unmet needs of adults with this condition.”

“We are aware that many adults may experience symptoms for a long time before speaking to a health care provider, and we hope that this will help encourage them to get the support they need,” said Chevese Turner, Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer, BEDA. “We are thrilled to be able to continue our work supporting adults with B.E.D. with the launch of this campaign.”

While B.E.D. often starts in early adulthood, only 3 percent of US adults in an online survey who met B.E.D. criteria in the past 12 months reported having been diagnosed with the condition by a health care provider.** Additionally, fewer than 50 percent of adults with B.E.D. are obese, based on a national survey of U.S. adults.***

“We are pleased to be participating in this campaign as it fits within NEDA’s overall commitment to raising awareness of eating disorders,” said Lynn Grefe, CEO and President. “Given the prevalence and lack of awareness of B.E.D., we feel it essential to bring particular attention to B.E.D. as the most common eating disorder among US adults.”

*Based on 12-month prevalence estimates applied to the full US population aged ≥18 years.
**Data from a 2013 online survey of adults aged ≥ 18 years. Of 22,397 respondents, 344 met diagnostic criteria for B.E.D. in the previous month.
***Data from a sample of 2,980 adults aged ≥ 18 years who were assessed for an eating disorder in a national survey.

About B.E.D.
B.E.D. is a distinct eating disorder now recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition(DSM-5^®). B.E.D. is characterized by regularly eating far more food than most people would eat in a similar time period under similar circumstances, with binges taking place on at least a weekly basis for three months. Adults with B.E.D. feel that their eating is out of control during a binge and find binges very upsetting.

As described in the DSM-5^®, binge eating episodes are associated with three (or more) of the following: eating extremely fast, eating beyond feeling full, eating large amounts of food when not hungry, eating alone to hide how much one is eating, and feeling bad about oneself after a binge. Unlike people with other eating disorders, people with B.E.D. don’t routinely try to “undo” their excessive eating with extreme actions like purging and over-exercising. Binge Eating Disorder is not part of another eating disorder. All of the criteria defined in DSM-5^® must be met in order to make a diagnosis of B.E.D. by a health care provider.

About BEDA
Founded in 2008, the Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA) is a national organization focused on providing leadership, recognition, prevention, and management of B.E.D. Through outreach, education and advocacy, BEDA will facilitate increased awareness and proper diagnosis of B.E.D., and promote excellence in care for those who live with B.E.D. and its associated conditions. BEDA is committed to promoting cultural acceptance of, and respect for, the natural diversity of sizes, as well as promoting a goal of improved health.
BEDAonline.com

About NEDA
The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) is the leading non-profit organization in the United States advocating on behalf of and supporting individuals and families affected by eating disorders. Reaching millions every year, NEDA campaigns for prevention, education, access to care and increased research funding to better understand and treat eating disorders. NEDA works with partners and volunteers to develop programs and tools to help everyone who seeks assistance. nationaleatingdisorders.org

For further information please contact:

Investor Relations
Sarah Elton-Farr     [email protected]     +44 1256 894157
Media
Stephanie Fagan     [email protected]     +1 201 572 9581
Gwen Fisher     [email protected]     +1 484 595 9836
Jessica Cotrone     [email protected]     +1 781 482 9538

NOTES TO EDITORS

Shire enables people with life–altering conditions to lead better lives.

Our strategy is to focus on developing and marketing innovative specialty medicines to meet significant unmet patient needs.

We focus on providing treatments in Rare Diseases, Neuroscience, Gastrointestinal and Internal Medicine and we are developing treatments for symptomatic conditions treated by specialist physicians in other targeted therapeutic areas, such as Ophthalmics.

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