How to deal with compulsive overeating on your own? This is a common question. We will understand it in more detail.
Each of us at least once in our life got up from the table during a noisy festive feast with the feeling of an overflowing stomach. If this happens irregularly and there is no loss of appetite control, and such a situation is just a desire to relax and enjoy the taste of the proposed dishes, then this is not a pathological process. An unloading day, a walk in the evening or an extra hour in the gym are quite capable of solving the problem and rid the body of unnecessary calories.
Unconscious and uncontrolled overeating
Another question is if the situation with overeating happens unknowingly and uncontrollably, especially after the stress or emotional stress. This is called compulsive overeating and is defined by dietetics as an eating disorder, the main cause of which is considered a negative emotional background. Such overeating can lead to overweight, and in the absence of treatment, and to an extreme degree of obesity.
Description
Compulsive overeating is on the list of diseases in the diagnostic and statistical guidelines for mental disorders. If a person has an uncontrolled appetite in a stressful situation, which he is not able to fight, we can talk about an eating disorder. This is considered a mental pathology and requires treatment. The reason for compulsive overeating can be the loss of a loved one, dismissal from work or seemingly minor troubles that become a reason for negative emotions.
There is also another name for the disease, which is used in the medical literature, namely, psychogenic overeating, which more clearly reflects the essence of the phenomenon. The appetite in this case is uncontrolled, due to psychological rather than physiological reasons.
Causes
In order to be able to overcome psychogenic overeating, it is necessary to understand the causes of its occurrence. There are only two main factors - experiences and stress. However, one should also distinguish between a situation where a person experiences the loss of a loved one, or another, when it comes to girls with vulnerable nature, who begin to seize negative emotions with a lot of sweets due to insignificant experiences.
In the first case, serious help from a specialist in the field of psychotherapy will be required, and in the second, simply making changes to one’s own views and worldview. Sometimes also a rigid diet can provoke compulsive overeating, when after strict and long-term food restrictions, a person begins to sweep away everything that is in the refrigerator. Quite often, the cause of this phenomenon is an unsatisfactory result from following a diet.
Some scholars tend to stick to the idea that a genetic predisposition may affect the development of compulsive overeating. Three types of genes have been identified that can lead to obesity and a tendency to overeat.
Symptoms
The main signs of psychogenic overeating can be detected by both the person suffering from this disorder and the people around him. Hide some manifestations of the disease can be quite difficult. Symptoms of compulsive overeating include:
1. Eating becomes the only way to relieve stress and a way to get rid of loneliness, melancholy and sadness.
2. Food is consumed alone, as a person does not want to show others his problem.
3. There is a need to eat up to a feeling of fullness of the stomach.
4. There is no control over the appetite and the process of eating food.
5. Food is taken even in the absence of a feeling of hunger.
6. An abnormally large amount of food is consumed at one time.
7. After eating, it is common for a person to feel guilty and disgusted with himself for another attack of overeating.
8. Gluttony during stress is very pronounced.
A characteristic feature of compulsive overeating is the inability to control appetite. Mental pain during stress is seized by an unconsciously large amount of food. It is human nature to not even notice that he eats more than usual.
Risk group
The most susceptible to such a disorder are people who are unbalanced in the mental plane, taking what is happening in their life too close to the heart. At high risk are adolescents and young girls. Men who experience problems in expressing their emotions also tend to stick to problems.
A feature of compulsive overeating is the almost complete refusal of a person to eat the right foods and dishes, namely soups, cereals, vegetables and fruits. Most often, the diet consists of food from fast food restaurants, fried, fatty and salty dishes, alcohol and soda, etc.
Compulsive Overeating Treatment
If a person understands and admits that he has problems with overeating, this is a good sign and guarantee for a successful cure. In this case, there is a motivation for realizing the need for the most rapid search for a solution and out of the current situation. It is practically impossible, however, to get rid of a psychogenic disorder on your own. Begin by visiting a psychotherapist or nutritionist. The specialist will evaluate the patient's condition, clarify the diagnosis and prescribe the appropriate treatment individually.
How to get rid of compulsive overeating is not an idle question.
As a rule, therapy is carried out in two directions, that is, an integrated approach to solving the problem is required. The combination of physiological and psychological therapy is strictly required in the treatment of compulsive overeating.
What threatens?
An eating disorder over time leads to obesity and metabolic syndrome, as well as metabolic disorders in the body. The following is an overstrain of internal organs, hepatosis and other complications. Therefore, treatment of concomitant diseases is required.
In addition, it is necessary to eliminate the cause of overeating, that is, get rid of depression, avoid stress, learn how to control appetite with emotional stress.
Psychotherapy
There are several psychotherapeutic methods for eliminating compulsive overeating. The choice of therapy depends on the condition of the patient and his individual characteristics.
1. Group psychotherapy. Sometimes overeating becomes the result of a lack of socialization, that is, a person depends on the opinions of those around him. For the purpose of socialization, special self-help groups are created. Their main task is to relieve nervous and emotional stress by increasing the self-esteem of those attending group classes. When communicating with other patients, the patient realizes that he is not alone, that others accept him, and everything is not so bad. In every fifth case, such activities become enough to eliminate compulsive overeating.
2. Cognitive-behavioral therapy. This is the most effective way to treat psychogenic overeating. The duration of the course is usually 5 months, which is a faster way than others. Therapy is aimed at finding oneself, training in self-control, overcoming stress and changing eating behavior.
3. Interpersonal psychotherapy. Also makes it possible to achieve good results. However, the duration of the course is longer than in cognitive-behavioral therapy. It will take from eight months to a year. During therapy, the patient begins to feel himself part of society, learns to communicate adequately with others, not to be closed and detached. A person needs to learn to perceive himself as a self-sufficient person and not take the words of others close to his heart. As a result, anxiety is reduced, and stress resistance is increased.
4. Hypnosis and suggestion. This technique is considered controversial. It makes it possible to suspend the development of the disorder for a while, but does not eliminate the disease as a whole. The main advantage of hypnosis and suggestion is the immediate result. Recovery occurs after only a few sessions. However, there is no human awareness of how he got rid of the problem. Accordingly, the old model of responding to a stressful situation remains, which means that relapse is possible.
When visiting a psychotherapist, you need to be aware that the healing process can be very long and require serious work on yourself.
Compulsive overeating - reviews
Reviews on this subject are abundant. People confirm that coping with such a pathology can be very difficult. Especially in the evening. Even the help of a specialist is not always effective.
You have to deal with your own negative emotions on your own, and only really strong motivation can change the situation.
Now we know how to deal with compulsive overeating.