Eating Disorders Caused By Depression

Depression is a challenging and confusing mental state that can occur for a variety of reasons. While many people associate depression as the result of a sad event, such as a loss of a loved one or a job, or a traumatic event, depression may also be caused simply by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain. There are many ways in which depression can affect the life of an individual and manifest itself, from their sleep patterns to their ability to concentrate. One of the most common ways depression affects people is by changing their eating habits, which can sometimes lead to an eating disorder.

Depression Symptoms

• Common symptoms of depression can include a variety of seemingly contradicting elements. For example, a desire to sleep up to 18 hours a day is often associated with depression, however insomnia can also be indicative of the condition. Likewise, a tendency to overeat can be as much a symptom of depression as a lack of desire to eat. The results of these two drives will either be weight gain or weight loss of up to 20 pounds in either direction depending on how the condition is affecting the individual.

Overeating

• The desire to overeat when depressed has been linked to the overproduction of melatonin in the brain. Melatonin is a brain chemical whose primary function scientists explain as a hibernation trigger. A surplus of melatonin in the human brain causes the individual to have an increased need for sleep and also for food. Many depressed individuals will find themselves craving foods high in carbohydrates and sugars, two types of food that are easily stored as fat. This weight gain is normal and can be reversed through exercise and appropriately treating the depression.

Bingeing

• However, in some instances the compulsion to overeat while depressed crosses the line from a mere craving for carbohydrates into regular bingeing episodes, which are a classifiable form of eating disorder. According to the Mayo Clinic, the binge eating disorder is arguably the most common type of eating disorder and is inexorably linked with depression. Just as depression can spark binges, the shame and guilt of consuming up to 20,000 calories at a time on a binge can perpetuate and deepen depression. Cognitive behavioral treatment can b used to treat bingeing as well as depression, effectively handling both concerns in tandem.

Reduced Eating

• While some individuals experience the compulsion to overeat while in a depressive episode, a portion of the depressed population will instead lose interest in food. The disinterest in food is more characteristic of melancholy, a form of depressed mood brought on by circumstance and not a chemical imbalance. An individual in the throes of melancholy does not have an overabundance of melatonin in the brain, but will still feel the same amount of anguish, low mood and hopelessness as someone who is considered clinically depressed. A very common side effect of this form of depression is a significant reduction in caloric intake.

Anorexia

• Just as some individuals with melatonin imbalances will see their eating habits shift from a mere tendency to an extreme, some individuals in melancholy states will find themselves over the border from a disinterest in food into anorexia, a pathological condition in which an individual refuses to eat to the point of self-harm. While it is true that most cases of anorexia are based in issues of self-image and loathing, anorexia can be generally utilized as a way to cope with a variety of emotional issues, including depressed mood. The key to treating anorexia is to treat the source of emotional problem, therefore cognitive therapy for the melancholy will be extremely effective in helping an anorexic individual regain a better relationship with food.