Battling Binge Eating
When the subject of eating disorders is raised, most people think of anorexia and bulimia, which are rampant in America. But did you know that binge eating is an even more widespread problem?
(Nutricise) — Binge eating goes far beyond indulging in a chocolate bar after a stressful day or having an extra scoop of ice cream when you're feeling blue. There's no doubt that food can be comforting. But for binge eaters, overeating is a compulsion. By definition, bingeing involves consuming large quantities of food in short periods of time, not to satisfy hunger or as a means of enjoyment, but to satisfy urges that are linked to larger psychological and physiological issues.
Arlene Hahn, C.S.W., a private psychotherapy practitioner in New York City, explains that binge eaters come in different varieties. For some, bingeing follows dieting as a response to food deprivation. These people may experience uncontrollable urges for the foods they have denied themselves, or their bodies may actually be craving large amounts of food because they've slowed their metabolism by extreme dieting.
Others take part in addictive or disassociative eating in an attempt to soothe feelings of anxiety. For these people, eating becomes a momentary escape from negative feelings. Binge eaters don't have the desire to purge their food the way bulimics—who vomit or use laxatives after a binge—do. Instead, their binges are followed by intense feelings shame and regret. The feelings of guilt from the initial binge often lead to another binge. Binge eating places a great deal of stress on the body, says Hahn. Medical concerns include high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.
The Duke Diet and Fitness Center in Durham, North Carolina, has one of the few in-patient care centers for binge eaters in the United States. The care lasts a full month and patients are given treatment similar to what's used for anxiety disorder. One treatment strategy that appears to be useful is visualization, in which the patients imagine their urge as a real thing inside of them, and they even give it a name. Then as they feel the onset of an urge, they picture themselves killing or conquering it. 'When binge eaters identify a situation that makes them anxious and triggers a binge, they can devise a coping strategy in advance,' says Nutricise adviser Michele Lifland, L.C.S.W.
A trend in treatment is to have the patient see a team of medical professionals that can collaborate on the patient's recovery progress. In order to provide a full range of assessment and treatment, a physician is necessary to determine existing health problems and rule out and other reasons for the weight problem. A dietician provides a healthful eating plan and food education. A therapist helps the binge eater recognize what emotions are being stuffed down along with the food. A psychotherapist may be necessary to evaluate the need for medication.
