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People cope with stress in different ways, and some of them are quite harmful to health. One such way is eating without feeling hungry in response to a stressful situation: compulsive overeating. The specialists of CSM Clinic can help recognize the problem and build a treatment plan using modern, established methods.
Do you constantly accompany your emotional outbursts with heavy eating? Does someone close to you often eat huge portions of food under stress? Professionals can help find the cause and address the eating disorder. Specialists at CSM Clinic treat compulsive overeating, using modern author-developed approaches alongside established methods.
Compulsive overeating is an eating disorder that shows itself as uncontrolled consumption of a large amount of food without feeling hungry in order to relieve stress. A binge episode does not so much "eat away" emotions as use food to dull the feelings. The severity of this eating disorder ranges from isolated episodes of moderate overeating to regular binge eating that resembles bulimia. Unlike people with anorexia or bulimia, a person with this disorder does not try to get rid of the food eaten by vomiting, laxatives, intensive exercise, or other means.
In the medical literature, other terms for this eating disorder can be found: "psychogenic overeating," "hyperphagic reaction to stress," or "nervous overeating."
The causes of compulsive overeating are divided into psychological, social, and biological.
The main psychological root cause of psychogenic overeating is the inability to cope with emotions caused both by external unfavorable factors and by inner conflicts. Various emotions can trigger a binge: resentment, being unable to change a situation, guilt, fear, or anxiety.
Many patients suffer from low self-esteem and feel unable to meet the expectations and demands of those around them. From childhood they became used to coping with negative emotions through food because they did not find support from adults. Many patients have had a habit since childhood of eating a lot of sweet or fatty food, or eating without hunger "to keep company." They often suffered because of difficult relationships with adults and conflicts in the family.
Social causes of nervous overeating include the cult of slimness. When a person has excess weight, their sense of self-worth drops, and feelings of guilt and inferiority appear. Food helps to drown out these negative feelings. As a result, a vicious circle forms in which the factors feed and reinforce each other. The inability to stop eating causes increased anxiety, which further worsens the existing eating disorder. The likelihood of binge episodes is also higher in children whose parents encouraged them or calmed them with food.
Biological causes of compulsive overeating include a hereditary predisposition. Researchers have linked three genes to weight gain with systematic overeating. These are the Taq1A1, GAD2, and FTO genes. A tendency toward nervous overeating also increases with an inherited predisposition to heightened anxiety and depression.
A characteristic sign of compulsive overeating is binge episodes that occur without hunger, in which eating helps relieve negative emotions. The person starts eating when feeling helpless, disappointed, guilty, hurt, or humiliated. Food helps relieve sadness, boredom, or a bad mood.
During an episode, the person does not feel full and loses the ability to control the amount of food. Eating can last about 2 hours and ends with a feeling of an overfull stomach, disgust with oneself, shame, and guilt. There are no attempts to get rid of the stomach contents. As a result, overeating leads to weight gain.
In compulsive eating disorder, the person:
Compulsive eating disorder shows itself only when the person is alone. In public, patients can control themselves and eat normal portions. Yet their life constantly revolves around food. They often snack during the day, stockpile and hide food for later, and eat it while no one is watching. They cannot remove the symptoms of compulsive overeating on their own, and this fact further lowers self-esteem and causes a feeling of helplessness.
During rapid growth, children and teenagers often eat a lot, but such episodes do not mean an eating disorder is developing. A compulsive eating disorder is always linked to stress factors. A child or teenager starts hiding food in their room, eats very large amounts in a short time, loses control over what is happening, and feels guilty, but does not induce vomiting or get rid of the food in other ways. They may skip regular meals and then fill up on fast food, snack many times a day, and take a lot of food when watching films or cartoons. Binge episodes happen 2 times a week or more often and last for at least six months. Overeating leads to weight gain, which teenagers in particular find distressing.
The causes of compulsive eating disorder in teenagers are no different from the factors that cause eating disorders in adults. The principles of treating compulsive overeating at this age remain standard. In children under 11, an unhealthy attitude to food is often shaped by family eating habits, so work with the parents is usually the first step. A child usually needs only mild behavior correction.
The consequences of compulsive overeating affect both physical and mental health.
People with this eating disorder often suffer from depression and anxiety disorders. Attempts to get rid of guilt, helplessness, and shame often lead to dependence on alcohol, drugs, and sedative medications.
Systematic binge eating negatively affects the work of the internal organs and systems and can lead to the development of such diseases as:
To diagnose compulsive overeating, an initial consultation with a psychotherapist and a psychologist is carried out. The conversation is held with the patient and their relatives. To identify and characterize the eating disorder, a bioimpedance analysis and a compulsive overeating test are performed. To avoid errors, a differential diagnosis is made against mental disorders and against obesity caused by taking certain medications.
To assess the consequences of the eating disorder, laboratory tests, ultrasound, an electrocardiogram, and other instrumental methods are performed. If needed, consultations with an endocrinologist, a cardiologist, and other specialists are arranged.
Comprehensive therapy helps address a compulsive eating disorder.
The main approach to compulsive overeating is psychotherapy. Various psychotherapeutic methods are used in working with patients:
While psychologists and psychotherapists work with the patient, dietitians help change the approach to eating and set a clear meal schedule. The specialists also work on changing the person's attitude to food.
In some cases, medications to suppress appetite are added to the treatment plan. For depressive and anxiety disorders, antidepressants are used, which not only stabilize mood but may also reduce the number of binge episodes.
At CSM Clinic, patients can follow an author-developed program by Valerii Patonych, a specialist in treating eating disorders. The program was previously used in the Revocanda plus psychological centers. During the program, each patient is assigned a personal consultant. Patients can call or message the consultant around the clock (24/7) and receive understanding, backing, and support. The method aims to reduce the symptoms of the disorder and support recovery.
To address the consequences of the compulsive eating disorder, narrow-profile specialists draw up an individual health recovery program for each patient. The length of the rehabilitation course depends on the severity and nature of the complications. The recovery plan may include vitamin and mineral complexes and medications to normalize digestion, support immunity, and stabilize the work of other systems and organs.
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To prevent compulsive overeating, it is worth doing the following:
Do binge episodes frighten you, and are you looking for experienced specialists in treating eating disorders? Contact CSM Clinic by calling the number listed on the website or by filling out the online booking form or the callback request form. Contact center operators will get in touch with you quickly, answer all your questions, and book an appointment with a doctor.
