Binge Eating Disorder / Compulsive Overeating and Its Treatment

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Binge Eating Disorder, also known as ‘”compulsive overeating”, can perhaps best be described as a condition in which one periodically consumes extremely large amounts of food.   Individuals with Binge Eating Disorder have a strong motivational drive for food and experience great difficulty in their attempts to restrain their eating.   They frequently continue eating well beyond their satiation level, with many reporting that their behavior feels “unconscious”, and that they have little control over it.  It appears that compulsive overeating is often done in response to emotional difficulties or psychosocial stressors.  Unfortunately, during and after a binge, one is often left feeling more depressed, anxious and helpless than they did before they overate.

In addition to the psychological issues noted above, some researchers and theoreticians believe that compulsive overeating has played a significant role in the dramatic increase in obesity levels in the Untied States over the past 30 years.  Obesity is commonly identified as having a body-mass index (BMI) over 30.  Using this guideline, approximately 34% of Americans are currently classified as obese, compared to 15% in 1980.  During this same 30 year period, this increase in obesity has led to a concomitant surge in diabetes and hypertension, both of which are risk-factors for heart disease, the number one cause of death in the US. › Continue reading

Tags: Binge Eating Disorder, Body Image, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Compulsive Overeating, Eating Disorders, Health, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Obesity

Is Compulsive Overeating OCD?

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Just in time for Thanksgiving, the Los Angeles Times weekly health section ran an issue this week dedicated to binge eating, also known as compulsive overeating.  This special issue had four articles on binge eating, with a strong focus on the question of whether or not this problem should be formally identified as a psychological condition in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, also known as the DSM. › Continue reading

Tags: Binge Eating, Compulsive Overeating, Food and Beverage, Health, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)