Compulsive Overeating and the Dangers It May Bring

By: Michael Russell

One of the eating disorders prevalent among both males and females is compulsive overeating. This malady is characterized by a lack of control over an individual's eating patterns resulting in a dramatic increase in body weight.

Compulsive overeating is usually developed during the childhood years when a person's eating habits are being formed. People who never learned how to deal satisfactorily with stressful situations are observed to be more prone to acquire this malady than those who have the ability to face their problems head-on. Recent studies show that affected individuals make use of food to thwart negative feelings and emotions. In other cases, food may also serve as an avenue for a person to deal and cope up with everyday stress, personal problems and emotional distress.

Some affected individuals feel that the more body fat they acquire, the more they can be protected from the personal evil, which haunts them. This is especially true in the case of those who suffered from sexual abuse. They might feel that the bigger and fatter they are, the less attractive they will be. Hence, an increase in weight might prevent abuse of the same nature from happening again.

Compulsive overeaters suffer from alternating episodes of overeating followed by feelings of guilt and depression. Among the warning signs that might tip off whether a person is suffering from this condition are the following:

. Eating a large amount of food even when a person does not feel physically hungry
. Eating at a faster pace than usual
. A person may already feel uncomfortably full but lacks the willpower to stop eating voluntarily
. Unusual preference of eating alone to hide his/her excessive eating habits from others
. Feels depressed or disgusted after each bingeing episode
. Has a history of marked weight fluctuations
. Usually withdraws from group activities due to embarrassment with his or her own weight
. Blames personal failures on weight
. Tries many different diets in an effort to control weight gain
. Weight and dieting becomes a central figure in the person's life

Compulsive overeating may trigger several health complications. It can prompt the onset of hypertension or high blood pressure, heart abnormalities, high cholesterol levels, diabetes, arthritis, sciatica, embolism and hiatal hernia (an abnormality wherein a part of the stomach sticks out through the esophagus and up to the chest). It may even cause toxemia or preeclampsia during pregnancy, which might endanger the lives of both the expectant mother and her unborn baby.

There are several other complications associated with this condition. The consequent weight gain resulting from this condition might aggravate the formation of varicose veins. It might also cause mobility problems. Overweight people are known to tire very easily and experience shortness of breath after even moderate physical activities. At worst, compulsive overeating may lead to cardiac arrest and death.

Like bulimics, compulsive overeaters are often aware of the abnormality of their eating habits. However, since the condition is not taken seriously at present, most sufferers are either directed to health spas and diet centers instead of being treated properly.

Compulsive overeating is more than a problem with food and the individual's eating habits. Rather, it is an indication of a more serious problem which may be hidden beneath layers and layers of false symptoms.

People suffering from compulsive overeating need help. They desperately need our support. So if you, or anyone you know, are showing signs typical of this malady, please seek professional counseling today. Do not wait for tomorrow. It may then be too late.