How to Identify Compulsive Overeating in Your Loved One

Characterized by not being able to stop eating, compulsive overeating usually results in weight gain. Food is a way of coping with emotions, conflicts, stress and daily problems for compulsive overeaters.

Instructions

• 1

  Identify emotional issues. Food is often a way of blocking out feelings that are difficult for the person to deal with. Emotions are a key part of overeating. A sense of being out of control and that their eating patterns are abnormal is at the forefront for most compulsive overeaters.

• 2

  Identify past issues. Early childhood is the most prevalent time for overeating patterns to start. Children and adults become compulsive eaters when they have not developed the necessary emotional coping patterns that they need. So, instead of properly dealing with stressful situations, a compulsive overeater will use food as a coping mechanism.

• 3

  Understand who develops compulsive overeating habits. There are stereotypical people that develop compulsive overeating; people who use the weight as a protection from others, victims of sexual abuse and people suffering from depression. Although these are factors for many people suffering from compulsive overeating, anyone can develop this eating pattern. Both men and women suffer from this disorder.

  Check out the resources section of this article for more useful eating disorder articles.

• 4

  Get Treatment. As more and more weight is added, it becomes increasingly difficult for the person to lose the weight. Feelings spiral out of control as guilt, shame and failure often lead to continue compulsive eating. Dieting and overeating will continue to spiral out of control until the emotional reasons for the overeating are dealt with.

  Compulsive overeating is not an actual diagnosis. Unfortunately, society does not take this eating pattern as seriously as Anorexia or Bulimia. But, compulsive overeating is a serious problem and has similar consequences as other eating disorders, including death.

  Therapies that are often used to help people with compulsive overeating include nutritional counseling, medical options and psychological therapy. With these therapies compulsive overeating is a very treatable disorder.