Eating Disorders - Compulsive Overeating by Dolores Hempstead and Jennifer Orleans, PhD If I were addicted to nicotine, I would flush my cigarettes down the toilet. If I were an alcoholic, I would have to stop drinking. What I am is a compulsive overeater. But how do I stop eating? I find myself in the precarious position of not being able to eat without gorging myself. It starts out innocently enough... one cookie, half a burrito... but it ends with an empty refrigerator and a bloated stomach. Some people purge, but I am afraid to. The full feeling is comforting, even when combined with nausea and cramps. I hate it when my stomach is empty. I feel lost. The unsurprising fact that I am overweight is far from my biggest problem. I wonder if my relationship with food will ever be healthy. I know that it didn't used to be this way, exactly. I was a skinny child, all knees and elbows. My parents used food as a reward, as a punishment, and as a comfort. The significance of meals in our home went far beyond nourishment. Our most colorful family dramas were always played out at the dinner table, shouts punctuated with the clattering of flatware and muffled by mouthfuls of mashed potatoes. Somewhere along the way, I became confused. I thought food could provide me with the love and support I seemed incapable of obtaining elsewhere. Eventually, I began to feel worthless, and that's when the downward spiral began. Years later, as I live with a body I sometimes feel disgusted with, and still struggle over every piece of food I eat, I constantly hear the most banal advice. "Lose some weight." "You should try to eat less." "Do you exercise?" My friend Allison, who is a recovering anorexic, understands my situation better than any one else. She told me once, "I remember wanting to punch the numerous people who gave me the following insensitive advice: 'Just eat.' I heard that a lot. I'm surprised it didn't occur to people that this thought had already crossed my mind...." It's hard to understand eating disorders if you don't live inside of a body you hate. I'm not sure why food is my outlet for all the ugliness I have found in this world. I am working with a nutritionist and a psychologist to find some of the answers that have long eluded me. I must admit, I am far more jaded than I am optimistic. But I hope that, if people can stop smoking or drinking, it might be possible for me to stop eating. Jennifer Orleans, PhD, a psychologist who works with college students, comments on this article: Binge Eating Disorder (BED), or compulsive overeating, involves out-of-control eating that is usually kept secret. It differs from bulimia in that "compensatory behaviors" employed to prevent weight gain (e.g. vomiting, misusing laxatives, excessive exercise, fasting) are not involved. People struggling with BED engage in frequent food binges in which they feel they cannot control their eating, and eat an amount of food that is larger than most people would eat in similar circumstances. The binges involve eating these large amounts of food when not physically hungry, eating much faster than normal, eating until feeling uncomfortably or even painfully full, and eating alone because of embarrassment at how much they eat. People suffering from BED often experience intense feelings of guilt, shame, self-hatred and disgust, and depression. Binge Eating Disorder has recently become recognized as distinct from other types of eating disorders. It is probably the most common eating disorder. Most people with BED are overweight, but normal-weight people can also be affected. BED probably affects two percent of all adults, or about one to two million Americans. It is slightly more common in women than men (three women affected for every two men), and the medical consequences of BED include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, gall bladder disease, diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer. Up to half of all people with BED have a history of depression, and many report that sadness, anger, boredom, anxiety, loneliness or other unpleasant/painful emotions can trigger a binge episode. People who struggle with BED are often extremely distressed by their binge eating. Most have tried to control it by themselves but usually have not been successful. People often miss work, school, or social activities to binge eat. They tend to feel bad about themselves, be preoccupied with their appearance, and avoid social situations. They often say that they feel ashamed and try to hide their problem -- frequently, close friends and family don't know that they binge eat. If you think you might have Binge Eating Disorder, know that help is available. You can find a counselor or psychologist to work with (try your campus counseling center, or ask your health care provider for a referral). Counseling and therapy can help you understand more about the role food plays in your life, and support your ability to make choices around it. Also, for some people, treatment with medications such as antidepressants may be helpful. Self-help groups may be a source of support, too. Reaching out for professional help can sometimes be difficult or scary, but the potential for relief from your suffering makes it worth it. References: American Anorexia Bulimia Association, Inc. "Binge Eating Disorder." Accessed August 11, 2000. http://www.aabainc.org/general/binge.html American Medical Association. "The Complete Guide to Women's Health." Random House, Inc., New York, NY. 1996. Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc. "Medical and Psychological Complications." Accessed August 11, 2000. http://www.anred.com/medpsy.html The Something Fishy Website on Eating Disorders. "Compulsive Overeating." Accessed July 2000. http:/www.something-fishy.org/whatarethey/coe.php National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. "Binge Eating Disorders." Accessed August 11, 2000. http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/nutrit/pubs/binge.htm New York Online Access to Health. "Eating Disorders: Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa." Accessed August 11, 2000. http://www.noah.cuny.edu/wellconn/eatdisorders.html Wallis, Lila. "The Whole Woman." Wholecare, New York, NY. 1999. Article courtesy of 98six.com "Where Health and Reality Meet."                    RECOMMENDED READING FROM THE PSYSTORE: Diary of an Eating Disorder: A Mother and Daughter Share Their Healing Journey by Chelsea Smith, Beverly Runyon Our Price: $10.36 "A wonderfully honest look at what recovering from an eating disorder really takes. An encouragement to those fighting to for their own recovery!" -- Amazon.com User Review For a selection of books on this topic, visit the Psystore. ** All prices subject to change without notice