Compulsive eating disorder: what it is and how to avoid it –

Eating until you feel stuffed, feeling ashamed or guilty after eating, going on strict diets and then eating large meals in small periods of space… All of these can be a sign of binge eating. this disease has undergone an evolution in its classification over time, gaining the name of compulsive eating disorder, defined from the disease classification manual in the dsm-5 and is the most frequent eating disorder. “About 5% of the population, 2% men and 3% women, generally young adults around 20 years old. But adolescents, about 1.7% have the disorder. Less than half (around 43.6%) of people with compulsive eating disorder receive adequate treatment when analyzing the North American data. This among Brazilians is even less”, says the doctor Luiz Scocca, psychiatrist. A survey carried out by School of Public Health at USPwhich interviewed 1,167 students from technical schools, found that 10.3% of them suffer from compulsion.

What is Compulsive Eating Disorder (Binge Eating)?

O compulsive eating disorder gets along with recurrent action of eating in an uncontrolled way, in a short period of time and with a greater amount than the organism can absorb. Eating disorders negatively affect a person’s life and involve a disturbance in eating or eating-related behavior, which often also include: absorbed by the body (for example, by self-inducing vomiting or taking laxatives) and it is very common for feelings such as guilt and regret to accompany this habit. For an unusual eating behavior to be considered a disorder, the behavior must continue for a period of time and cause significant impairment to the person’s physical health and/or ability to function at school or work, or negatively affect the person’s interactions with others. . Women, particularly in their teens and early adulthood, tend to be at a higher risk of developing this disorder.

Several settings can trigger a compulsion, for example, anxiety, depression and emotional illnesses. “The massets may be associated with external factors such as stressa fight in the family, work, lack of physical activity, the pandemic itself, and as much as the person cannot identify it, even anxiety attacks and panic attacks can be associated”, says the doctor Gabriela Cilla, nutritionist.

“Eating disorders have psychic, physiological, cultural causes and must be looked at in a multidisciplinary way. People who suffer from eating disorders are going through a very difficult time. This is because not only are they unhappy with the physical aspects of their bodies, but they are also emotionally shaken by it all. That is, there are many feelings at the same time. Among them are prohibitions, guilts and fears. These feelings may be linked to depression, low self-esteem, anxiety and others. psychologist Paula Dutra.

How to identify the disorder?

There are several signs to look out for. “Eating and then feeling guilty or sad right away, eating meals all the time and in excessive amounts, embarrassment when eating in front of other people, eating quickly, following rigid diets and after a while eating compulsively, emotional problems (depression and anxiety), feeling repulsed by one’s own body and avoiding looking at one’s own image in the mirror or in a reflection are warning signs to turn attention to physical and mental health care, preventing the development and worsening of eating disorders” alert Gustavo Paturya doctor specializing in the digestive system.

The origin of compulsive eating disorder is still unclear. Luiz Scocca explains that there are studies that indicate that it could be a genetic problem. “The cause of compulsive eating disorder is not very clear to us, it is unknown but we have many clues that the most likely factor is genetic. We know that the chance of having a compulsive eating disorder is much greater if there is a disorder in the family, particularly among the parents, in this area such as bulimia, anorexia or other eating disorders”, explains the professional. Furthermore, Rogerio Oliveiranutritionist, adds that environmental and emotional aspects can influence the development of the disease. “The practice of too rigid and restrictive diets and the obsession with one’s own image have also been some of the causes that trigger food compulsion”.

What are the consequences of binge eating?

A binge eating can generate serious diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, cardiovascular diseases and gastric system. “The consequences also include weight gain and bloating, because the person who eats too much has a shorter breath, and the digestive organs are distended because of excess food and end up feeling very ill after a crisis”, says the psychologistFabiana Fuchs.

There are also levels of severity when we are talking about the disease. “In psychology, we see pathologies as mild, moderate and severe. In the case of compulsion, this also applies. Mild would be having few seizures during the week. Moderate, when there are more than two to three crises a week and severe when it exceeds that amount”, explains Fabiana.

In addition to the possibility of illness, the binge eating may end up being interconnected with more serious eating disorders such as bulimia (Inducing vomiting after eating, using laxatives in excess) and anorexia (refusing to eat, counting calories consumed by exercising excessively to burn them off). “If the person has the compulsion, the chances of developing the other two disorders are great, after all, all these diseases are associated with psychiatric disorders and with the patient’s relationship with food and their own image”, warns Rogério Oliveira.

What is the form of treatment?

the psychologist Paula Dutra explains that the treatment is multidisciplinary and involves psychological therapy, a nutritionist and a medical team. “It is essential to seek help, because alone it is very difficult to get out of this situation. looping dangerous and often fatal. Seek expert help”, reaffirms the expert.

And even if once undergoing treatment or cured, the patient must always be alert because the binge eating, which is often linked to an emotional (or possibly genetic) factor, can return. “A person can develop the disease again. She must always remain vigilant, as any event can lead to the return of compulsion crises. Whenever there is an emotional imbalance, the person who is prone to binge eating can relapse. The compulsion just changes the factor, but it’s always the same process. She may have learned to deal with the compulsion, but if she relaxes and doesn’t know how to deal with her conflicts and has old habits, she can have the compulsion again”, he explains. Fabian.

the digital influencer Glenda Barreto suffered from eating disorders at the age of 26, after the birth of her third daughter. “I was already thinner than in my first pregnancies and I remember that I calculated the calories of what I ate and went to the gym to spend them. From then on, things evolved: on weekends, when I theoretically didn’t do physical exercises, I ate and then there was a huge guilt over the act”, says the influencer “My father was the first to help me with the issue of eating disorder and introduced me to professionals specialized in the subject. My husband was very sensitive in understanding what I was going through and encouraged me to seek help, as it was through his alert that I saw that I needed to heal. Having a support network was very important in making the decision to seek medical help, as it is quite common for people around us to often not realize what is happening and that these disorders really exist”

How to prevent?

Despite the indications that it could be a genetic disease, a balanced lifestyle and self-knowledge can be the key to avoiding the development of compulsive eating disorder. “Prevention happens through self-knowledge, taking care of the emotional and having a good relationship with food. Having a healthy eating routine and practicing physical activities also helps a lot with regard to prevention. This will all help maintain good food and mental health. Compulsion happens because of an imbalance, in an attempt to fill an existential void. And when this emptiness is filled from the inside out, the person will no longer take this lack out on food. If the person feels that something is missing, it is best to seek professional help, such as therapy, for example. Because when she tries to get to know herself, deal with her feelings and her traumas, her identity, her self-esteem, she may not develop the compulsion”, concludes the psychologist Fabiana Fuchs.