Binge Eating

There are times when people normally overindulge in food especially during holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas compared to any other day. This eating pattern is called overeating but when there is a compulsive urge to continuously eat, such pattern already becomes binge eating. To constitute this eating pattern, it must have two characteristics: the amount of food eaten must be large at one period and at that time; there must be loss of control over eating.

Causes

There is no particular cause for binge eating as an eating pattern. In most cases though, this condition is triggered by mood changes such as anger, anxiety, depression, sadness and even happiness. A person can have simply, an extreme desire for food. Binge eaters normally indulge in all kinds of food when bingeing. However, a person can also overeat the same kind of food when deprived of it for a long period time such as after crash dieting.

Complications

Binge eating does not have immediate consequences. However, if such is continued for a long period of time, it can lead to obesity, which carry with it health problems such as hypertension, high cholesterol levels, diabetes and heart diseases. If the person also purges by induced vomiting or taking laxatives after binge eating, the purging can also have undesirable effects on health. Binge eaters can also suffer from lack of proper nutrition as foods that they normally indulge in are low in nutrients but high in salt and sugar.

Most binge eaters are ashamed of their overeating behavior and regret it afterwards. Overeating is, hence, followed by acts by which the person can compensate for the excessive calorie intake like fasting, heavy workout or purging.

When Binge Eating Becomes a Binge Eating Disorder

It is not until that binge eating is so frequent that it can be considered as symptoms of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Regular uncontrollable compulsive eating, in most cases, result in the eating disorder called binge eating disorder.

Binge eating disorder is a mental illness where a person eats an unusually large amount of food usually quickly, alone and with loss of control over eating. Binge eaters eat excessively even when they are not hungry at all and often feel self-disgust after every session of overeating.

Treatment

Treating binge eating involves a change in lifestyle and habits. Psychiatrists and clinical psychologists can administer cognitive-behavioral therapy to help patients change unhealthy eating habits, keep track of food consumption and cope with difficult situations. Nutrition counseling can be administered by nutritionists and dieticians to help restore the eating patterns of the patient to normal. In cases accompanied by depression and anxiety, a patient can also be prescribed with antidepressants. To curb being overweight, a patient may also engage in a weight loss program to manage weight the proper way.