Compulsive overeating
Compulsive overeating is characterized by the uncontrollable consumption of large quantities of food, often beyond the point of physical fullness. This behavior is a significant concern, impacting an estimated 4 million adults in the United States, with Binge Eating Disorder being the most prevalent form. Compulsive overeating can affect individuals of all backgrounds, though it appears to be nearly twice as common in women and typically begins before the age of twenty. Signs include rapid eating, consuming food in secret, and a preoccupation with food-related activities. The underlying causes are complex, involving genetic, psychological, and environmental factors, including potential links to depression and chronic stress.
The health consequences of compulsive overeating can be severe, leading to conditions such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, as well as negative impacts on mental health, including guilt and isolation. Treatment often requires a multi-faceted approach, including behavior modification, nutritional counseling, and emotional coping strategies. Support from professionals or peer groups, such as Overeaters Anonymous, can be crucial for those seeking to manage their eating behaviors and improve their overall well-being. Understanding compulsive overeating is essential to addressing the needs of those affected with compassion and respect.
Subject Terms
Compulsive overeating
DEFINITION: A pattern of behavior in which a person routinely ingests large quantities of food beyond the feeling of fullness without the ability to stop.
Signs
It is estimated that 4 million American adults are compulsive overeaters. Binge Eating Disorder, the most common eating disorder in the United States and a form of compulsive overeating, affects over 2.8 million Americans. May American also deal with food addictions, which can also lead to compulsive overeating.
Compulsive overeating is nearly twice as common in women as in men, and it typically begins before the age of twenty. The primary sign of compulsive overeating is regularly eating large quantities of food uncontrollably without physical hunger. Other food-related behaviors include eating rapidly, eating to the point of physical discomfort, eating alone and secretly, hiding food to eat later, hiding the evidence of eating, stealing other people’s food, and eating food that has been discarded or is about to be discarded.
Compulsive overeaters are preoccupied with food, spending inordinate amounts of time on meal planning, food shopping, cooking, and eating. They make furtive trips to convenience stores, fast food restaurants, and late-night grocery stores. They recognize that their eating habits are not normal and feel powerless to stop eating voluntarily. They turn to food for comfort and yet use it as a reward. Their rapid weight gain brings them feelings of guilt, shame, disgust, and self-loathing. They cannot separate their identity from their weight; in weighing themselves, for example, how they feel about themselves is dictated by the number on the scale. They believe that they will be better persons once they are thin, so they try various diets with a sense of desperation. Although weight may be lost initially, it is often regained, plus more.
Underlying Causes
Researchers have not conclusively determined the underlying causes of compulsive overeating. Studies have investigated genetic predispositions to food addiction, in which a person’s metabolism of foods, such as sugar, wheat, and fats, affects the same areas of the brain affected by other addictive substances, such as cocaine. Other brain studies have examined compulsive overeating as a biochemically based impulse disorder somewhat similar to kleptomania, hypersexuality, compulsive shopping, and gambling addiction. A connection to dopamine in the brain has been shown, as well as hypersensitivity to the pleasurable properties of foods.
Some medical professionals consider compulsive overeating to be a means of self-medicating for clinical depression. In some cases, the resulting rapid weight gain may be a protective mechanism to cope with physical or sexual abuse. The behavior also may serve to numb painful emotions of rejection, abandonment, and low self-esteem. One study showed that compulsive overeaters produce more cortisol in response to stress than do normal eaters; cortisol is known to stimulate the drive to eat, leading to obesity. Chronic stress is connected to the preference for high-energy foods that contain large amounts of sugar and fat. Other conditions that can lead an individual to compulsively overeat include anxiety, low self-esteem, hormonal fluctuations, food marketing, and cultural norms. What is certain is that the complex interplay between psychological and emotional factors, biological and genetic factors, and environmental and social factors causes compulsive eating.
Negative Effects
The unbalanced diet of the compulsive overeater, who typically chooses sweets and starches, has adverse health consequences, such as high serum cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, and increased risks for heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, and diabetes. This diet also may result in lethargy, moodiness, irritability, and depression.
In some cases, self-harming may be used to dissociate from emotional pain by substituting physical pain that releases endorphins. Compulsive overeaters who self-harm usually hold themselves to unreasonably high standards, have difficulty expressing their emotions, and are repulsed by their own bodies. The extreme and rapid weight gain contributes to varicose veins, blood clots in the legs, sciatica, arthritis, joint pain, and bone deterioration. It may also cause shortness of breath and sleep apnea.
There are several other negative consequences of overeating to consider. Compulsive overeating can lead to severe mental health issues and invoke guilt and shame. The feelings can lead someone to socially isolate themselves or turn to other substances to cope. People who compulsively overeat may experience financial difficulties, problems in relationships, and poor work or school performance.
Treatment
Like alcoholism, compulsive overeating is considered to be a disease in that it involves treatment and recovery and cannot be overcome by willpower alone. However, it is also a behavior that may be managed with behavior modification therapy. A typical initial exercise is to keep a food diary, a written record of the kind and quantity of food eaten, the time and place of eating, and the emotional context. This diary is then analyzed to identify habits, underlying emotions, and foods that trigger uncontrollable eating. The next step usually is to consult a nutritionist to devise a healthy food plan with adequate calories for energy, necessary nutrients, and fiber for improved digestion. A third step is to identify and practice healthy activities–emotional coping mechanisms–that substitute for food; these activities may include exercise, meditation, and spending time with friends.
Persons can seek support from professional counseling or from a twelve-step program such as Overeaters Anonymous. In some cases, drug therapy with antidepressants may be appropriate. Some individuals may seek inpatient therapy at a rehabilitation center designed to help people with eating disorders.
Bibliography
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