Binge eating disorder and obsessiveness with compulsivity

binge eating disorder It is characterized, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-5), by frequent episodes of ingestion of food in quantities clearly greater than what others would ingest in similar circumstances, in a period of approximately two hours, with a feeling of lack of control.

These episodes are associated with eating too fast, feeling unpleasantly full, eating without feeling physically hungry, doing it while alone out of embarrassment, feeling upset, depressed, or ashamed of yourself same.

This disorder is not frequently accompanied by inappropriate compensatory behaviors, as in the case of bulimia nervosa, such as vomiting self-induced, use of laxatives, diuretics, fasting, or excessive exercise in an attempt to maintain control of body weight with a concern excessive.

• Related article: "Eating disorders: how are they addressed from psychotherapy?"

Risk factors associated with an Eating Disorder

The population that is most exposed to contracting this type of disorder is adolescents.

Since, being a stage of transitional development between childhood and adulthood, determining physical and psychological changes are experienced in the life of each person; above all, it affects young women.

Although people of any age, sex, gender, racial and ethnic origin can suffer from an Eating Disorder (TCA), adolescent women and Young people are the group that most frequently presents eating disorders, being the cause biological factors (genes, heritability and others), early sexualization, the environment and socio-cultural elements: those that are intrinsically found in our way of thinking, participating in processes such as self appraisal, without forgetting that we are social beings, so we are influenced all the time by our environment, and what that he defines as aesthetically appropriate or not, producing ideals of body image in both men and women. women.

On the other hand, studies and my professional experience agree that the nuclear family plays a fundamental role in the construction of self-esteem and what is perceived of the self-image, since the power of what we communicate to a person (both to others as oneself) and above all to a person who is in the process of forming their identity, is highly influential in health mental.

On one occasion, a woman of approximately 27 years old tells me that another person insinuated that her physical appearance at that moment was not “optimal”. However, she expresses: "what that person does not know is that my parents built a solid self-esteem in me."

Although to date there are no studies that can clearly identify the causes of this type of disorder, undoubtedly the affected person presents a severe condition in emotional terms and in their self-management.

• You may be interested in: "Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): what is it and how does it manifest itself?"

Binge eating disorder and obsessive compulsiveness

It is curious that Binge Eating Disorder has been included in the latest and most complete version of the DSM-5 published in 2013. Could it be that said painting had not been identified before? Or what is a disorder of the new generations?

It is true that today's society presents high levels of prevalence in anxious, depressive and stress symptoms, which is directly related to lifestyles and learning.

As to the relationship Binge Eating Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Behavior, I have been able to appreciate an interesting combination between the two, recognizing in my work experience Binge Eating Disorders, that is, a compulsiveness to eat excessively in certain moments, accompanied by an obsessive thought, that is, the presence of constant and persistent thoughts related to food, such as: "What will my next meal? "I need to eat something right now"...

There is a permanent organization of meals, concern about gaining weight, great difficulty in achieving a sensation of psychological satiety (being able to person to find their physical capacity for food intake completely exceeded and in turn continue with hardly controllable desires to eat or hunger mental).

What is interesting is that this symptomatological combination may appear as a defense mechanism against complex emotional experiences that may have appeared during childhood, adolescence, youth, adulthood or old age, regardless of the stage of development in which a person is when it appears, preventing the person from being able to deal with introspective work that requires processing emotional information that in some cases can be difficult and even traumatic, interfering with life daily.