Compulsive Eating Disorder

Compulsive Overeating

People suffering with Compulsive Overeating have what is characterized as an "addiction" to food, using food and eating as a way to hide from their emotions, to fill a void they feel inside, and to cope with daily stresses and problems in their lives.

Compulsive overeating generally has a gradual beginning, often starting in early childhood when eating patterns are formed. It usually starts very subtly, when a child turns to food whenever they were upset. Over time, you learn that food in fact will soothe the upset feelings.

Compulsive eaters feel incapable of controlling how much or how often they eat. They may feel unable to stop eating, eat very fast, eat when they're not hungry, eat when they're only alone, or eat nearly non-stop throughout the day.

Recovery is completely possible for compulsive overeaters through a gradual process of lifestyle change and with the help of others. Along with the medical, psychological and nutritional assistance helpful to anyone with distorted eating habits, oftentimes groups such as Overeaters Anonymous are very useful.

Compulsive Eating Disorder & Dietary Obesity

When you have a compulsion to overeat, your behaviour is motivated by factors that compel you to act against your own logic and wishes. You have an overwhelming desire to eat irrationally, as a result of a psychological force within you. Abnormal eating is a body-image disturbance and need not necessarily result in an overweight condition. Compulsive overeating, however, generally leads to a condition of being overweight, particularly when there is an excess of high fat and carbohydrate foods in your diet. This kind of overweight condition is called dietary obesity.

Break the Habits

You are caught in a vicious cycle, but there is a way out.

• Diagnose it as early as possible and reach out for help immediately.
• Get comprehensive medical care and monitoring, psycosocial intervention, nutritional counselling and when appropriate medication management.
• Once malnutrition has been corrected and weight gain has begun, psychotherapy can help people with anorexia overcome low self esteem.
• Be very careful so that you don't suffer from relapse. Try medication, if necessary.
• Be proactive if one of your family members suffers from eating disorders.

Eating Disorder Overview
Bulimia Nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa
Binge Eating Disorder
Compulsive eating disorder
Obesity

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