Physical health, emotional condition and nutrition - these three concepts are inextricably linked. If a person eats poorly, the functioning of vital organs and systems is disrupted, as a result - bad feeling, and the mood too. And if you are in a bad mood, it is difficult to have a good appetite.

It turns out vicious circle. But on the other hand, often it is stress and nervous breakdowns cause uncontrolled overeating, which can cause serious damage to health.

In medicine, this phenomenon is called compulsive overeating. What is it, is it a real disease, is it necessary special treatment What is dangerous and how to deal with it?

Illness or habit?

Compulsive overeating is the uncontrolled consumption of food even in the absence of appetite. At the same time, it is not particularly important for a person what exactly, where and how he eats. The main thing is to get enough and quickly, and satiety never occurs, even when overeating to the point of vomiting and diarrhea.

Important: the patient, as a rule, feels guilty for his actions, but cannot stop. And he continues to overeat, often secretly from others, hiding in hallways, gateways, locking himself in the toilet.

The need for food is not so much physiological as psychological; it develops into addiction. Therefore, treatment should be prescribed by both a nutritionist and a psychotherapist.

Naturally, this is extremely harmful and dangerous for the body. The patient himself understands this, as a rule, willingly agreeing to treatment. It is important to start it as early as possible, correctly establishing the root cause of the disease, before irreparable damage is caused to the body.

Reasons why compulsive overeating occurs

Compulsive overeating is not viral disease, which overtakes a person suddenly and turns into a flu or cold in a few days. The reasons for its development can be very different, sometimes very old, layered on top of one another, thereby complicating treatment.

1. Physiological disorders. Violations hormonal levels and metabolism – with diabetes mellitus including - can cause a physical need to absorb food. A person does not feel appetite; on the contrary, he does not want anything. But the body demands to immediately fill the stomach - and it does it. Besides, constant thirst, a frequent companion to diabetes, is often mistaken for a feeling of hunger. Although in fact, instead of a thick sandwich with sausage, butter and cheese, it would be enough to drink a glass of water or herbal tea.
2. Emotional condition. Often, compulsive overeating is a reaction to separation from a loved one, conflict with parents or children, or a difficult situation at work. This stereotype came from melodramas and women's novels: “I feel bad - I need to feel sorry for myself - to feel sorry for myself means to eat something delicious.” And the overeating of cakes, sweets, pizza, and sandwiches begins. This is partly correct: in moments of stress, the body requires more carbohydrates. But to do this, it’s enough to eat a couple of pieces of a chocolate bar or drink a cup of cocoa with milk. Overeating is not a cure for depression at all; this condition must be dealt with by completely different methods.
3. Social factor. Compulsive overeating can be a form of protest against generally accepted standards. Tall, thin girls are in fashion, but I am plump and small. This means I’ll be even fatter and uglier to spite everyone. This is exactly how some patients think and, with manic persistence, consume everything from the refrigerator and kitchen cabinets. Also, the chain laid down by parents or grandmothers from childhood often works: if you eat well, then you are an obedient child, and you will receive a reward for it. Ate poorly - bad child, stand in the corner.

Since the causes are complex, treatment of the disease also requires long-term and complex treatment. Not only doctors, but also loved ones should participate.

A successful prognosis largely depends on their support and understanding.

How to recognize

Recognizing a disease is already half the cure. But to do this you need to know the main symptoms of the disease. People who are predisposed to diabetes should be especially attentive to their habits - overeating can trigger a sharp change in blood sugar levels.

For those who have already been diagnosed with this condition, monitoring the number of meals and its calorie content is vital.

The most common signs of compulsive overeating disorder:

1. Erratic eating patterns, regardless of daily routine and time of day;
2. The inability to refuse a tasty, forbidden dish in favor of a healthier one;
3. Adequate eating habits in the company of other people, and uncontrolled overeating when a person is left alone - food is absorbed, as a rule, in huge pieces, with the gluttony of a hungry person, although he could have just had a hearty lunch;
4. Eating food very quickly, without proper chewing;
5. Continuing to eat foods even when colic and abdominal pain, nausea and intestinal disorders begin.

The problem of binge eating is similar to anorexia, but just the opposite. After a bout of gluttony, the unfortunate person feels a deep sense of guilt.

But he does not receive satisfaction from the food he eats. When under stress, a person often provokes vomiting or diarrhea in order to get rid of the consequences of his actions.

But he immediately starts eating again. At the same time, even the largest portions are not enough for him.

If at least two or three signs coincide, we can talk about the development of compulsive overeating - urgent and adequate treatment is necessary. This state can be compared to what is called.

Consequences and treatment of the disease

The main danger is that the body cannot cope with processing everything that comes in and comes in. nutrients. There is a serious disruption to everyone's work internal organs, up to complete failure stomach, pancreas, liver.

Repeated vomiting and diarrhea lead to dysbiosis and inflammation of the gastrointestinal mucosa. Obesity, dysfunction of the musculoskeletal system and cardiovascular system, skin rashes, hormonal imbalance- all these are consequences of the habit of eating a lot and indiscriminately.

With diabetes mellitus, a person urgently needs medical help: systematic violation of the diet, despite dangerous diagnosis, can lead to death.

Appetite suppressant medications are used nutritional supplements with fiber, compositions that cleanse the body and, of course, psychotherapy. Only working on yourself every day will help you completely and forever get rid of the problem.

Man has long ceased to use food only to satisfy hunger. Today, many people open the refrigerator door when they are very upset, angry, or simply have nothing to do. Could our distant primitive ancestor imagine that the habit of eating would be treated in the future? So, modern man has turned food into a tool for achieving mental balance. Is this so bad and how to build a healthy relationship with food, we’ll talk in the article.

What does compulsive overeating mean?

Emotional hunger, eating disorders, destructive attitudes towards food, compulsive overeating – there are many concepts, but the meaning is the same. A person ceases to belong to himself when his consciousness replaces the concept of physical hunger with an emotional need to eat something.

We all love to eat delicious food, especially since we don’t need to hunt down prey for days, as primitive man did. All you have to do is walk to the nearest supermarket and fill your cart to the brim with delicious food. Choose whatever your heart desires. Perhaps it is precisely because of such availability and variety of delicious foods that many people fall into a vicious circle of food slavery? The root cause of this, of course, lies in the presence of a psychological problem, but how easy and pleasant it is to cheer yourself up with another portion of sweets or fast food!

So, all variations of emotional hunger are united by one indicative feature. This is an all-consuming desire for high-calorie food against a background of psychological discomfort. Here are the main types of destructive eating behavior.

Anorexia nervosa

The disorder enslaves mainly the audience adolescence. During this period of life, according to a growing person, everything does not work out as we would like: the waist is annoying extra centimeters, and the passion does not pay any attention. A distorted perception of one’s body and reality in general leads to internal protest, which is expressed by refusal to eat. The teenager asserts himself in his own eyes through rapid weight loss. The more kilograms you lose, the more terrible the thought of gaining weight seems.

Bulimia nervosa

This disorder is manifested by the uncontrolled absorption of huge amounts of food and subsequent disposal of what was eaten. To cleanse the stomach and intestines, everything is used: deliberately provoking attacks of vomiting, taking laxatives and diuretics, and following strict diets. The pathological circle is firmly closed: as soon as the last piece of food is swallowed, the patient has an irresistible need to cleanse himself.

Compulsive overeating

We all sometimes lose control of our appetite, eating too much while watching an exciting movie or during noisy feast. But in episodic cases of overeating, doctors do not see anything pathological from a psychiatric point of view. Things are completely different when a person systematically surrenders to the power of food. Compulsive addiction forces you to pounce on food and in a short period of time (1.5 - 2 hours) greedily absorb large amounts of food indiscriminately.

With this eating disorder, a person is unable to control the amount he eats. It also doesn’t matter to him what exactly he eats – all that matters is how much his stomach is filled. as soon as possible. Insight comes only during periods of calm between eating breakdowns. People suffering from this disorder may have varying degrees of obesity, although there are also “eaters” with body weight within the normal range. Compulsive overeating is more common than bulimia and anorexia, however, unlike the latter, the habit of absorbing mountains of food without noticing it can, in most cases, be overcome on your own, without the help of a doctor.

Causes of compulsive overeating

Compulsive hunger is a psychotic problem emotional nature, so doctors have identified a group of emotions that, to one degree or another, force a person to slam the refrigerator door every now and then. Let's list them:

1. Stress. Any stressful situation makes us worry, and when we have to deal with such situations day after day, persistent overstrain is formed. This condition stimulates the active synthesis of cortisol, the so-called stress hormone. Due to the high content of cortisol in the blood, a person is drawn to fatty foods that are difficult for the stomach, which gives short-term joy from a feeling of fullness. To prolong the pleasure, you need to eat a single portion of fast food.
2. Negative emotions. Overfilling the stomach with food temporarily dulls the depressing feelings that a person experiences when he is angry, afraid, sad, anxious, abandoned, hurt or ashamed.
3. Idleness, boredom. Chewing in front of the TV is the most common and easiest way to occupy yourself when there is nothing to do. Spending time eating food is more pleasant than admitting the purposelessness of your life at the moment.
4. A habit from childhood. In most cases, we inherit the pattern of eating behavior that our parents imposed on us in childhood. Remember how your family treated food when you were a child. Were you rewarded with sweets for good grades on your report card, or were they given a tasty morsel when you were upset about something? Many people grow up believing that food can be comforting and a delicious reward for personal achievement. In some cases, through emotional eating, we express nostalgia for long-gone times in the warm nest of our parents.
5. Social influence. With an abundance of food, you can briefly distract yourself from problems at work, or drown out nervousness after communicating with an unpleasant colleague or boss. This also includes going to a cafe with friends. Everyone is eating - how can you keep up!

In truth, the reasons that force one to rush headlong into the pool of emotional overeating lie in wait for a modern person at every turn.

The dangers of compulsive overeating

Trying to find the key to solving problems with the help of an additional portion junk food pointless - like fighting windmills. But the real complications of destructive eating behavior - atherosclerosis and obesity - will not take long to appear. Psychogenic overeating only widens the gap between an emotionally dissatisfied person and society, putting his psychological and physical health at serious risk. Here's what happens if you don't overcome compulsive overeating in time:

1. A person addicted to emotional overeating moves away from family and friends and refuses to share meals with them. He fears that he will not be able to restrain himself and will make his secret and shameful addiction public. A person enslaved by food is forced to give preference to a secluded lifestyle.
2. After an attack of gluttony, a person repents of what he has done and suffers from feelings of shame and guilt. Over time, he begins to experience depression more and more often. Dissatisfaction own life, self-loathing often push the unfortunate person into the arms of another harmful addiction - alcohol or drugs.
3. Compulsive overeating leaves an indelible mark on the health of its victim. A person appears excess weight, huge pressure on the joints provokes the development of arthritis, high level cholesterol in the blood causes hypertension. Moreover, regular bouts of gluttony affect the heart, intestines, kidneys, gallbladder. A person’s character also changes: he becomes irritated, hot-tempered, embittered and even more insecure.

Do you suffer from emotional hunger?

The basis of compulsive overeating is moral satisfaction. At the bottom of the plate, a person seeks to find a solution to all his problems, as well as comfort in moments of stress, anger, disappointment or loneliness. The real problem is that food provides only fleeting pleasure and cannot satisfy emotional hunger. After emptying the refrigerator, a person feels even worse: he is tormented by a feeling of guilt for the lack of willpower. Compulsive overeating is a quagmire, from whose tenacious embrace it is sometimes very difficult to get out. You can find out how susceptible you are to this weakness right now. To do this, try to honestly answer the following questions:

1. Do your portions increase when you're stressed?
2. Do you eat when you are not hungry?
3. Do you eat to cheer yourself up?
4. Do you use food as a reward for personal achievements?
5. Do you feel protected when your refrigerator is full of food?
6. Do you experience irritation and powerlessness when Once again Have you eaten to your heart's content?

Even half of the answers to the test questions in the affirmative means that you tend to satisfy your emotional hunger through heavy snacks. Even if cases of uncontrollable overeating occur to you only sporadically, this is not the time to sit idly by. To take control of your appetite once and for all, you need to act decisively. First, let's figure out how physiological hunger differs from the emotional need to be distracted by food.

How to deal with compulsive overeating: burning bridges

Once you understand the difference between an imaginary and a real appetite, you will never again be hooked on the habit of eating your fill. At first it will be difficult to do this, especially if you get stuck Bad mood you had to quite often. However, there are several nuances, based on which you will understand whether you should open the refrigerator right now or you can wait a little longer.

The main differences between fake hunger and real hunger:

1. The feeling of false hunger takes you by surprise and grows quickly. It drives all thoughts out of your head. You can only think about food. Real hunger develops gradually and does not require immediate gratification.
2. When experiencing false hunger, you want to eat a specific product: a bun, a sausage sandwich, something fatty, spicy or sweet. In case of real hunger, an apple will satisfy you. Even the most bland and unloved foods like oatmeal will seem attractive to you if you are really hungry. At the same time, emotional hunger requires food that will provide an instant burst of energy - fruits and vegetables are not enough here.
3. False hunger does not cease even with full stomach, and the real one goes away as soon as you eat. That is why emotional hunger forces a person to chew senselessly: chips, ice cream - it doesn’t matter, because the taste of food is practically not felt. When satisfying your physical hunger, it is much easier to focus on the taste and quantity of food.
4. After satisfying emotional hunger, a bitter aftertaste remains: the realization comes that the appetite has again gotten out of control, and there is a gnawing feeling of guilt about this. Satiety during real hunger brings wellness And great mood: the person is full of energy again and you can switch to some productive activity.
5. The most important distinguishing feature emotional overeating is that hunger occupied the person’s thoughts, not his stomach. Physiological hunger forces us to focus on the taste, smell, texture of food, as well as the sensations that this dish brings us. By satisfying psychological hunger, a person fences himself off from mental problems, but does not solve them in any way, so he reproaches himself for the amount of food he eats.

Treatment of compulsive overeating

We invite you to overcome this dangerous disorder on your own.

Mood Diary

Bouts of compulsive overeating are caused by reasons that relate to the emotional plane. The irritating factors that control our appetite are different for everyone. To understand what circumstances, feelings or thoughts make you seek comfort in food, keep a special mood diary.

After each emotional attack of overeating, open a notebook and write down in detail everything that concerns your problem. What situation preceded the desire to eat? In what mood did you sit down at the table? What were you thinking? What did you experience when you were full? There may be many more questions and answers. Even the most frivolous, at first glance, details matter. Can you imagine that not only negative emotions, but also joyful events in your life can cause compulsive overeating? Thus, the habit of celebrating significant dates and holidays with a rich feast can quickly transform into emotional hunger. This is why it is so important to know your enemy by sight, because he can be waiting for you anywhere. And only by exposing and eliminating him can we move on. With the help of a mood diary, you can establish the pattern of your attacks and understand what and when prompts you to eat a lot. Only after eliminating the true cause of compulsive overeating can you think about how to “feed” your emotions, other than food.

Conscious management of feelings

It is very important to learn to fill the emotional gap in your consciousness not with real products, but with other methods of spiritual self-realization. As soon as you find something to replace your food with, learn to control your willpower and breathe easy - overeating no longer has power over you.

How to crowd out emotional hunger from your life:

1. When you feel bad and lonely, turn your attention not to the refrigerator, but to what is meaningful to you: caress pet(cats and dogs are the best healers of mental wounds), re-read your favorite book, call a friend you haven’t talked to for a long time, or look through an album with family photos.
2. Anger can be dispelled by going for a long walk. Alternatively, turn on the music at full volume at home and dance until you drop.
3. Relieve fatigue with a mug of warm herbal tea or a relaxing bath by candlelight. A cozy blanket and an exciting book complete the picture of a perfect evening.
4. A hobby will help you overcome boredom, and it doesn’t matter if you don’t have one yet. Remember what you loved to do as a child? To modern man if desired, everything is available: drawing, modeling, dancing, sculpting from polymer clay, playing guitar…

As you can see, the tips are very simple and straightforward. But just like that - leisurely leafing through the pages of a book, embroidering, caring for four-legged friend or enjoying hot tea - you will be able to resist the temptation to stretch your stomach with a huge amount of food, and then regret it. Very soon you will begin to enjoy the knowledge that you are spending time calmly and productively without overeating. Take all your negative emotions as a challenge to yourself - there is a problem and it needs to be solved immediately. Listen to yourself, work on yourself, love yourself, and then no food will be able to interest you as much as you do.

Ignoring temptations

People suffering from compulsive overeating are accustomed to indulging their false appetite, which wakes up at the most inopportune moment and demands satiety here and now. Victims of eating disorders feel powerless over this pathological habit, but in reality they are much stronger than they realize.

Try to curb your hunger and not give in to temptations. To do this, apply the “5 minute rule” in practice. As soon as you feel an irresistible urge to put something in your mouth, promise yourself to do it in 5 minutes. During this time, focus on your feelings, and you will understand that nothing hurts you, nothing threatens you deadly danger, nothing will happen to you if you don’t satisfy your hunger instantly. Such training will gradually dispel in your eyes the significance of total gluttony, which holds you in a vice. Very soon you will begin to think constructively and understand how to resist pathological addiction.

Emotional eating is a pointless process. To get rid of it, do the opposite: fill your life with priorities.

1. Exercise every day. The energy born in sports is creative, and therefore will not allow you to get bogged down in the quagmire of uncontrolled eating. Over time, your body's mental memory will demand the next portion of training, and not emptying the refrigerator.
2. Every day, give yourself 30-40 minutes to rest. How you spend this time is up to you. Walk, read, sleep, study foreign words– do what you enjoy. This will give you a good dose of energy.
3. Communicate with people - it's so easy today! Find old friends in in social networks, join interest groups, share your hobbies or experiences on forums, arrange real meetings, visit your parents, and then you won’t worry about being alone. Live communication is a powerful antidepressant.

In conclusion, let’s look at the statistics: 4 times more people suffer from compulsive overeating today. more people than from cancer. An impressive figure, isn't it? However, modern society does not give eating disorders of great importance, so people who are faced with such a problem are at a loss, not knowing how to overcome addiction.

To end food slavery once and for all, you need to believe in your worth. A person who feels like an individual will never harm himself, will not waste his time on such trifles as emptying the refrigerator under the yoke of a contrived feeling of hunger. Solve your emotional problems with the help of other people and serious work on yourself, then food will cease to be your lifesaver for all occasions.

How to cope with bulimia and compulsive overeating. Video

Who will understand a person with an eating disorder better than someone who has experienced it all and left it behind? Hear from a girl who overcame food addiction.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual mental disorders 5th edition" binge eating disorder is a disorder in which a person experiences an uncontrollable and constant desire to eat. Typically, compulsive overeating is a problem in people who are obese. However, in some cases, people who do not have this problem can also suffer from psychogenic overeating. Frequent episodes of overeating can harm your physical and emotional health. Binge eating can lead to stress. However, there are no hopeless situations. Binge eating disorder can be successfully treated.

Steps

How to overcome desire

Get rid of junk food. There should be no products in your home that can be harmful to your health. Don't pile up unhealthy, ready-to-eat foods on your kitchen shelves. These are usually unbalanced foods that contain large amounts of calories, carbohydrates and sugar. Make a conscious effort to stock only healthy foods in your kitchen.

• Prepare your own food and eat it only when fresh. You may be used to your lunch consisting of a pack of cookies or ice cream. You will have to make a conscious effort and make a decision by which you will remove all unhealthy foods from your kitchen.
• Remove unhealthy food from any places you might have it hidden.

1. Stay active and don't give yourself the opportunity to get bored. People suffering from overeating eat even when they are not hungry in order to “eat up” boredom. If you have some free time and don't know what to do, get out of the house, walk the dog, take a walk in a nearby park, or ride a bike. Boredom often leads to unhealthy food cravings.

   • Regular physical exercise Increase stress resistance and help manage stress properly.

2. Follow a healthy diet. Don't skip meals. Choose products with high nutritional value. Start your day with a healthy breakfast and continue with a balanced lunch and dinner. By eating healthy throughout the day, you can control unhealthy food cravings.

   Keep a food diary. Write down everything you eat during the day. Also, keep track of your eating behavior when you overeat. This will help you be more attentive to your eating behavior. Thanks to this, you can change your eating habits.

3. Practice deep breathing. Deep breathing allows you to relax and cope with stress. Many people with eating disorders also suffer from anxiety disorders. Very often the cause of overeating is anxiety. For many people, the main trigger for overeating is stress. By learning to cope with stress, you are less likely to feel the urge to overeat.

   • Do yoga. Yoga requires awareness in every movement. In addition, various breathing techniques are used during classes.

4. Get enough sleep. Sleep disturbances are usually associated with eating disorders. Some chemical substances, which affect our appetite, also play an important role in regulating sleep. Proper sleep patterns promote hormonal balance, which has a positive effect on appetite.

   • Follow certain rituals before bed to improve your correct mode sleep. Go to bed at the same time every night and follow a bedtime routine. Over time, you will begin to feel sleepy when you first begin your usual activities.
   • Give up nap. If you sleep during the day, you will have a harder time falling asleep at night. If you feel tired during the day, fight sleepiness until you feel tired. the right time for sleep.

   How to treat the disorder

   1. See a psychotherapist. Psychotherapy is one of the most effective ways treatment of psychogenic overeating. Psychotherapy may include cognitive behavioral therapy(CBT), which aims to identify and change the ways of thinking that may cause overeating. Self-awareness is the main goal of this type of therapy; Through CBT, patients can identify risk factors and avoid them. Cognitive therapy also promotes the formation of healthy habits.

      • Interpersonal psychotherapy helps people with compulsive disorder interact better with friends, family, and others. This allows people with binge eating disorder to build healthy relationships with others, which is essential to maintaining good health. emotional health. Emotional support is extremely important for people who have uncontrollable food cravings.

   2. Join a group of people with binge eating disorder to gain support. Thanks to this, you won't feel lonely. Also, the experiences of others will help you deal with similar problems. You will have the opportunity to communicate with people who are experiencing similar feelings. You will be able to feel the necessary support from them and gain knowledge that will help you cope with problems.

      • Find out if there are similar groups in your city.

   3. In addition to psychotherapy, it is sometimes necessary to take medications. Topamax and similar antidepressants may help you control this disorder; however, any medications work best when combined with psychotherapy and/or a support group. Discuss with your doctor the possible advantages and disadvantages of the drug you choose.

      • To start a course of medication, you will need a prescription from your doctor or psychiatrist.

   4. Read as much as possible. Reading is in a good way understand your experiences and understand the essence of the existing problem. Make it a habit to read stories of people who were able to overcome this disorder. Thanks to this, you will have the right motivation.

      • When reading such examples, remember that each case is individual. Pay attention to similarities, but never compare yourself and your achievements to other people.

   5. Understand that recovery is a long process that does not always go smoothly. From time to time you will experience unpleasant symptoms. It is very important to continue to stick to your chosen course of treatment, despite the difficulties along the way.

      • Don't be too hard on yourself if you fail. Focus on overall success rather than minor failures. If you experience failure, focus on future success.

Do you sometimes feel like your child can eat everything he can get his hands on, including dry pasta from the cupboard? This happens, especially during adolescence. Children grab handfuls of cookies here, grab a bag of chips there, and stuff themselves with sandwiches at night. Teenagers grow at an incredible rate, and so you might think there is nothing strange about such an appetite. And in most cases this is exactly the case.

But sometimes such abundant snacks are far from harmless. A child who eats frequently and in large quantities and feels guilty or tries to hide his binge eating may be suffering from a disorder called compulsive overeating disorder.

What is compulsive overeating

Quite a lot of people find comfort in food. By by and large, food is the focus of most meetings and celebrations. A birthday means an incredible amount of salads, hot dishes, a big cake and kilograms of sweets for all friends, the same with all other significant dates. At the same time, many people eat more than usual only at such friendly gatherings.

But people suffering from compulsive disorder, once they start eating, lose all control over the quantity and sometimes the quality of food consumed. And they overeat not only on holidays, but also on ordinary days, on average twice a week.

For most people with binge eating disorder, their relationship with food is quite complex. At first, food calms them down and distracts them from everyday worries. But over time, if a person continues to overeat regularly, he begins to experience stress and guilt. Binge eating disorder is characterized by quickly eating unusually large amounts of food and a lack of self-control over food. This behavior becomes habitual and usually alternates with periods of strict dieting.

Mostly, compulsive overeating occurs in overweight people, but sometimes this condition develops in slender, fit people. Unfortunately, there are no detailed statistics yet on how many children and adolescents are susceptible to this disorder, since, firstly, it began to be diagnosed quite recently, and secondly, many people, regardless of age, consider it shameful to consult a doctor for help with such a problem.

Because episodes of binge eating disorder usually remain a secret, parents may not even realize they have the disorder.

While most people with anorexia are women, binge eating disorder occurs almost equally in men and women.

Signs of compulsive overeating

If the child is for a short time eats a large amount of food, parents should be wary.

Children and teens who eat a lot sometimes do not necessarily have a compulsive disorder. Children with very good appetite, need large quantities nutrients to provide the developing body with everything it needs. Therefore, it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish compulsive overeating from a temporary increase in appetite. But there are a number of signs that allow you to distinguish normal appetite from compulsive disorder.

Parents should suspect something is wrong if food from the refrigerator and kitchen cabinets begins to disappear escape velocity, and even in such quantity, as if a company of soldiers had dined on them, and not just one child.

Other signs:

• A child can eat a large amount of food in a very short time.
• Eating habits and appetite are directly related to emotional stress, conflicts, failures, experiences.
• The child experiences a feeling of guilt or shame for the amount of food he ate.
• The child begins to hide food in his room.
• . A child may skip standard meals, then gorge on fast food, snack several times a day and, of course, pack plates of food for his room to watch cartoons or TV series in the evening.

Causes

The underlying cause of compulsive overeating is still unclear. It is believed that at least 50% of people suffering from this disorder have had episodes of depression or severe emotional distress. Although it has not been conclusively established whether overeating makes people depressed, or whether the disorder itself leads people to depression.

Most people who suffer from compulsive overeating disorder say that each episode of binge eating was triggered by stress, anger, sadness, boredom and anxiety. However, even if someone feels better while eating, the episode of overeating is still associated with stress due to the fact that control over oneself is once again lost.

How can you differentiate binge eating disorder from other types of eating disorders?

In fact, binge eating disorder is easy to distinguish from other disorders.

People suffering from bulimia also eat huge amounts of food at once, but they immediately vomit and use laxatives because they are afraid of gaining weight. In addition, they may fast and train to the point of exhaustion, hoping to lose weight. overweight. With compulsive overeating, people overeat and then feel guilty about it. Unlike bulimia, people with binge eating disorder do not vomit and, as a result, gain excess weight.

Anorexia, in turn, also causes a feeling of guilt for every bite eaten. While people with compulsive disorder overeat constantly, anorexics often go hungry, compromising their health. They, just like bulimics, can train intensely, hoping to lose even more weight.

Diagnostics

Therapists, pediatricians, and psychologists typically use specific criteria to diagnose binge eating disorder. These include:

• Consuming more food in one sitting than a healthy person can eat.
• Feeling out of control while eating.
• Dissatisfaction with yourself because of this momentary weakness.
• Episodes of overeating occur 2 times a week or more often for at least 6 months.
• After overeating, a person does not induce vomiting, does not use laxatives, and does not try to exercise hard.

Episodes of binge eating are characterized by the following:

• Fast absorption of food.
• A person eats until he feels discomfort and fullness in his stomach.
• A person eats even when he is not hungry.
• Food is consumed secretly from others.
• Feelings of guilt, depression and even self-hatred.

Treatment

A child is diagnosed with compulsive overeating after a thorough history, examination family history and the climate in the family, and the emotional background of the developed condition. In addition to the conversation, the doctor may prescribe a series of studies to determine the state of health, nutritional status and, if it already exists.

As with eating disorders, a child with binge eating disorder will need professional help and support from loved ones to overcome the habit.

There are different types of treatment for binge eating disorder. For example, family therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy. During the classes, people are taught methods of self-control and stress management. The peculiarity of family therapy is that all relatives living with the patient attend classes.

Cognitive behavioral therapy combines helping people accept themselves as they are and showing them how they can change their behavior and life in general.

In addition, consultations help to clarify a person’s true relationship with society and specific individuals and understand what is the real reason stress that provokes compulsive overeating. In some cases, psychotherapists prescribe medications to help cope with the situation.

But, unfortunately, there is no technique that would allow you to get rid of any eating disorder in one visit to a doctor. Treatment may take several months. During this time, a person will develop a new attitude towards food and himself. Although weight control programs, exercise programs, and even some diets can help adults cope with compulsive overeating more easily, children should never start with them. The entire complex of therapy should be compiled only by a specialist.

For some parents a necessity long-term treatment may seem too expensive. Such parents also receive help in special psychotherapeutic groups. And the more a parent reads and knows about his child’s condition, the more effectively he will help him cope with the disease.

Risks and complications

Almost all teenage children with binge eating disorder gain weight over time. Their health may be at risk:

• Obesity.
• Metabolic syndrome.
• Arterial hypertension.
• High cholesterol levels.
• Gallbladder diseases ( cholelithiasis, cholecystitis).
• Heart diseases.
• Some types of cancer.
• Depression.

How to help your child?

If you suspect your child has compulsive overeating disorder, consult your pediatrician first, and then ask them to recommend a good child psychotherapist, who already has experience working with children suffering from a similar disorder.

Convince your child that you are always ready to listen to him at any time and help him in everything. It is quite difficult to admit that you have a disorder, so your child may not even be aware of the problems. You can also help by being a good role model, treating food correctly and not offering it as a reward.

With the help of you and the whole family, a psychologist or psychotherapist, the child will eventually learn to treat himself and food correctly. You just need a little patience and love for your child.

You can learn about eating disorders in general from the program “About the Most Important Thing”:

19.02.2018 Narcologist Mikhail Konstantinovich Transition 0

Compulsive overeating

Compulsive overeating is a pathology characterized by disordered eating behavior. Like any other addiction, the disease is psychological in nature. It requires serious treatment, primarily with the help of psychotherapy.

In terminology, compulsion means coercion or imposition of something. In medicine, this word defines a combination of signs that characterize the unhealthy state of a man or woman, conditioned by certain criteria. IN in this case, the basis of compulsive gluttony are negative emotions that appear regardless of a person’s desire. Not everyone and not always succeeds in getting rid of them on their own, and their multiplication leads to the development of sustainable psychological discomfort.

This is what causes hyperphagic dependence.

The fundamental symptoms that allow us to talk about the disease are:

• uncontrolled and multiple food intake, unrelated to physiological hunger;
• consumption of food does not bring pleasure to a person, but causes him to feel guilty, sad, and self-hatred;
• food as a way to avoid difficulties, difficult situations in life, stress, etc.

People who are prone to compulsive overeating have certain traits. First of all, this is the desire to isolate yourself from the world and live alone. The second is the desire to stock up on food for future use and eat everything yourself. Third, both men and women, when overeating, understand their problem. This makes them feel enormous discomfort, which forces them to eat again. This is how a vicious circle is formed. Fourth, a person prone to overeating loses sensitivity to the sensation of hunger and satiety.

Consequences of compulsive overeating

Uncontrolled and excessive overeating threatens representatives of both sexes not only with metabolic disorders, but also leads to the development of:

• diabetes;
• pathologies of the heart and blood vessels;
• joint diseases;
• stopping or sudden weakening of breathing during sleep.

The person experiences a general deterioration in health, constant fatigue, and drowsiness. As a result, progressive compulsive overeating leads to serious chronic diseases, and in the future, to total loss legal capacity.

Causes

In the list of anomalies associated with disorders of normal eating (anorexia and bulimia), compulsive overeating is in the same row. According to medical statistics, it develops in adolescents or young adults aged 16 to 20 years.

Main psychological reasons overeating is considered:

• Breakdowns after strict diets.
• Parents' behavior toward their children who use food as a reward.
• Overfeeding, that is, feeding children beyond their physiological needs.
• Food as a way to relieve stress, nervous tension, emotional problems, depression, psychological disorders, the main symptom of which is causeless anxiety.
• Psychogenic, that is, caused by psychological trauma.
• Dependence on the pleasure that arises in the process of eating food.

Diagnostic methods

Compulsive overeating is determined based on testing and examination of the patient. Specialists, psychologists and nutritionists, by asking questions, seek to obtain the necessary information about general health the patient and his eating habits. Of course, the emotional state of a man or woman at the time of contacting a specialist, his attitude towards himself, towards his own body, and whether there are any difficulties in everyday life are important.

For the most accurate diagnosis, the patient is prescribed:

• blood tests for the presence of cholesterol and hormone concentrations;
• examination of the stomach to determine its volume; for the presence of gastroesophageal reflux disease and other abnormalities;
• magnetic resonance imaging of the brain to determine pathologies in it.

After a diagnosis is made, a person addicted to overeating is prescribed a set of therapeutic techniques that eliminate the causes that provoked the onset of the pathology.

Treatment methods

The disease is treated comprehensively and includes the following methods:

• Psychotherapy, that is, treating a patient with psychological influences, which, in turn, include:
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy is a form of treatment that combines changing and developing thinking and behavioral habits;
  • interpersonal therapy, during which a person gets rid of low self-esteem and learns to communicate harmoniously with himself and the world around him;
  • dialectical behavior therapy, the task of which is to independently deal with difficulties and unpleasant life situations, keep your feelings and emotions under control, and not “eat up” problems.
• Nutrition plays a significant role in the treatment of this complex disease. The nutritionist individually selects the optimal dietary regimen for each patient and monitors its strict adherence.
• Medications. To the psychotherapeutic methods of combating overeating, they also add methods of medicinal influence, which significantly help to overcome the disease and prevent its return. In this case, antidepressants are prescribed. The drugs stimulate the generation of the “joy” hormone - serotonin, and help normalize sleep. No other medications are effective in treating binge eating disorder.
• Traditional recipes can only be used as additional remedy to combat overeating. Experts say that these methods have low efficiency. They can only be used as ways to reduce the amount of food consumed, since they are based on careful dosing of portions and the consumption of low-calorie foods that have the ability to reduce appetite. For example:
  • vegetables: cabbage, carrots;
  • skim cheese;
  • dried fruits;
  • herbal infusions and herbal teas;
  • fruits: green apples, grapefruit, pineapple, orange.

When the next desire to eat something comes, it is better to go for a walk or read an interesting book.

Predictions and prevention

As a result of comprehensive measures designed to help a person get rid of forced overeating, the following results can be achieved:

• again, do not resort to strict diets, the peculiarity of which is a negative effect on the psyche;
• to form new quantitative and qualitative methods of nutrition that allow you to consistently and systematically get rid of excess weight;
• learn to recognize physiological hunger, which will allow a person to eat only if he is hungry;
• get rid of obsessive thoughts about food and get satisfaction from life in general;
• saying goodbye to compulsive overeating will lead to improvement general condition health in general and the disappearance of many side anomalies.

It should be taken into account that the disease takes a long time to be treated. Therefore, in order to achieve a noticeable and sustainable result, it is necessary to demonstrate a desire to be healthy, character, endurance, willpower, patience, and a willingness to change your way of thinking.

In order not to provoke overeating, you need to learn to cope with life's difficulties and control your diet.

To speed up digestion, on the advice of doctors, you should do the following:

1. After eating, do not lie down, but do physical exercise for two to three hours.
2. Drink at least three liters clean water daily.
3. Give preference to products with high content fiber.
4. Reduce consumption of fatty and fried foods.
5. Take enzymes and probiotics that can improve the digestion process in consultation with your doctor.
6. Eat slowly, chewing food thoroughly.
7. Eat often, but little by little, throughout the day.
8. Fresh foods are of great benefit.

If you cannot cope with systematic overeating on your own, you need to urgently seek help from specialists.