Compulsive Overeating disorder

This segment contains the following information on compulsive overeating disorder;

What is compulsive eating disorder?

Compulsive eating is often confused with binge eating disorder, however although similar, the two differ. Compulsive overeating is characterized with an ‘addiction’ to food from the individual concerned. Food is used to hide from their emotions, fill a void in their life or to deal with daily stresses or ongoing issues in day to day life.

Most people whom suffer with this eating disorder tend to pick food all day, ‘graze’ so to speak, whereas binge eating disorder involved binges of vast amounts of food in a fairly discrete period of time. People with this disorder are usually overweight and aware of having abnormal eating habits. They usually have feelings of guilt for not being "good enough," shame of being overweight causes low self esteem. Food and eating are methods used to cope with these feelings. This leads to a cycle of greater low self esteem and a resultant search of coping mechanisms (usually eating). Comments like, "just go on a diet" are as emotionally devastating to a person suffering Compulsive Overeating as "just eat" would be to an anorexia patient.

Desire for food is not the cause for over eating, but the pressure to evade painful feelings or emotions. Unless the underlying pain is discovered and resolved, compulsive overeaters find it almost impossible to relinquish the strong bind with food they have. Sufferers often feel like they have no control over their behaviour (much like bulimic patients). They eat often when they are not hungry, spend excessive amounts of time and thought devoted to food, and secretly plan or fantasize about eating alone. It is important to remember that although compulsive overeating leads to weight gain, not everyone who is obese is also a compulsive overeater.

The word ‘compulsive’ refers to a choice being made without it being though through and without considering the consequences. when a person acts in a compulsive manner in relation to food,they often eat without thinking and then feel angry and ashamed afterwards. Obsessive compulsive eating can actually result in consuming more calories than the binge eater.

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