Part 3
Eating Disorders Part 3 (Big Sister)
Eating Disorders & The Deadly Facts: Binge Eating Part 3
Eating disorders are the leading cause of death in all known psychological disorders. There are a number of eating disorders such as :
- Anorexia Nervosa
- Bulimia Nervosa
- Binge Eating
- Anorexia Atletica
- Over Eating
- Night Eating
- Orthorexia Nervosa
- Eating Disorders Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS)
You can read more information on each one here.
The Causes of Eating Disorders
There is still no exact known causes of eating disorders but recent research has shown strong correlation on the following possible causes:
- Biological Factors such as genetics.
- Social factors such as society and cultural factors.
- Psychological factors such as other psychological diseases like stress and depression.
The most common eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive (binge) eating. Eating disorders are extremely dangerous. These three disorders will be discussed in three different updates in Big Sister.
Binge Eating
Binge eating, or sometimes called compulsive eating is when a person has uncontrollable eating and an addiction to food, which they may feel out of control and unable to stop. Binging this way is generally followed by feelings of guilt and depression. Unlike people with bulimia, compulsive over eaters do not attempt to control the aftermath of binging with purging behaviors such as fasting, laxative use or vomiting. Compulsive over eaters will typically eat when they are not hungry. Their obsession can be summed up when they spend excessive amounts of time and thought devoted to food, and secretly plan or fantasize about eating alone. Compulsive overeating usually leads to weight gain and obesity, but not everyone who is obese is a compulsive over eater. Here is a news report on compulsive overeating by NBC Action News in Kansas City.
About 2 percent of all adults in the United States (as many as 4 million Americans) have binge eating disorder. About 10-15 percent of people who are mildly obese and who try to lose weight on their own or through commercial weight-loss programs have binge eating disorder. The disorder is even more common in people who are severely obese.
Effects
Left untreated, compulsive overeating can lead to serious medical conditions including obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, sleep apnea, and major depression. Long-term side effects of the condition also include kidney disease, arthritis, bone deterioration and stroke.
A Silent Killer: The Symptoms
- Periodically does not exercise control over consumption of food.
- Eats an unusually large amount of food at one time—more than a normal person would eat in the same amount of time.
- Eats much more quickly during binge episodes than during normal eating episodes.
- Eats until physically uncomfortable and physically feels like they're on the verge of throwing up due to the amount of food just consumed.
- Eats when depressed, sad, or bored.
- Eats large amounts of food even when not really hungry.
- Usually eats alone during binge eating episodes, in order to avoid discovery of the disorder.
- Often eats alone during periods of normal eating, owing to feelings of embarrassment about food.
- Feels disgusted, depressed, or guilty after binge eating.
Here is a woman who suffers from compulsive over eating with a matching psychological profile of the disease. Links and More:
National Eating Disorders Association
Binge Eating Disorder Information
Compulsive Overeating Disorder
Myths and Facts on Eating Disorders
Binge Eating Part One: The Morning Show
Binge Eating Part Two: The Morning Show
Latest News in Binge Eating Disorders
This was originally posted in July 2009
Tags: anorexia, eating disorders, health, bulimia, big sister, body, compulsive eating, part 3, article