Definition of binge eating disorder and the main causes of it. Distinctive symptoms and signs for diagnosis in the population. The main methods of control and principles of disease prevention. Binge eating or binge eating is a type of eating disorder that is characterized by an uncontrollable feeling of hunger. As a result, a person consumes a huge amount of food without noticing it due to the lack of a sense of satiety. This condition can last from several hours to a day and lead to weight gain.
Factors in the development of binge eating disorder
The problem of overeating is becoming more pronounced every year. Today, there are a huge number of reasons that can lead to the development of binge eating. And most often it occurs due to a combination of several factors at once, which aggravates both the course of the disease and its treatment in the future.
All the causes of binge eating are not divided into several groups:
- Psychological … Includes various mental disorders such as sleep disturbances, neuroses, paranoia, delusions. But the main thing, as a rule, is the presence of depression. It is this disease that always either precedes or accompanies the development of overeating. Constant feelings of dissatisfaction, fatigue, lack of self-confidence and low self-esteem lead a person to seek pleasure in food.
- Social … This includes an unhealthy environment in society, family, friends and acquaintances. As a rule, the first violations occur in childhood. The habit of many parents to associate food with reward or reward is embedded in the child's memory for a long time and becomes a problem. In the adult world, violations are based on generally accepted standards of thinness, which not everyone can boast of. As a result, there is a sense of inequality, loneliness even among people and compensatory seizing problems.
- Biological … This group is the most diverse. The defeat of the structures of the brain, in particular the hypothalamus, leads to a violation of the flow of impulses about the feeling of satiety and hunger. It is believed that due to insufficient production of serotonin and other biologically active substances, their transmission can also be inhibited. The main components of the endocrine system are the hormones leptin and ghrelin, the dysfunction of which can lead to serious disorders throughout the body.
- Hereditary … The presence of the same diagnosis in one of the relatives almost always confirms the diagnosis. This is due to both parenting manners and genetically determined predisposition. In this case, they talk about the transmission of spontaneous mutations in a number of generations, and with them the propensity to develop the disease.
- Food … Poor nutrition, which includes quick snacks, the use of spicy, fried and fatty foods, tends to slow down the satiety process. Due to this, a person ceases to control the frequency and volume of food, gradually increasing it to a critical amount.
- Immune … As you know, during the transfer of any disease, the patient experiences the loss of many important trace elements and nutrients in the body. As a consequence, a balanced diet becomes the most important link on the path to recovery. But excessively frequent intake of hearty food in such a state does not improve, but only aggravates it.
The main symptoms of binge eating disorder
Clinical manifestations of gluttony are quite obvious and noticeable to others. But the main problem is that many perceive this as normal or increased appetite, not understanding what consequences they might expect. The person himself also cannot critically assess his condition and even, on the contrary, tries to hide it in every possible way.
Today, there are 3 large groups of symptoms of binge eating disorder:
- Behavioral … These kinds of remarks are based on the continuity of eating food for more than two hours or even an entire day, but not always. Sometimes people eat in small portions in the company of friends, but they compensate for the lack by eating at home alone. It is characteristic that most of them also hide their tastes and wishes, can hide food for later or eat it even without signs of hunger. Self-control in such people is almost completely absent. They cannot stop themselves or refuse anything, regardless of satiety.
- Emotional … This is all that the patient feels every day. Unfortunately, constant food intake does not bring them moral satisfaction. Rather, on the contrary, it depresses the mental state even more, bringing it closer to a depressive one. The inability to get enough makes a person feel ashamed of the amount eaten in front of himself and others. In the process of eating, they seem to plunge into a trance, where they absolutely cannot control themselves. In addition to all this, the majority of patients also suffer from obesity. Naturally, they cannot control their weight by correcting nutrition, which is even more frustrating. The only joy is again the process of eating food, which closes this vicious vicious circle in the patient's life. Therefore, a constant lack of mood is also an important sign of overeating.
- Functional … This type of diet contributes to the development of many disorders in the body. Physical inactivity, increased fatigue, sleep disturbance develop. Phantom pain in the head, abdomen, or joints may occur for no apparent reason. Brittle nails, hair loss, changes in skin type, diseases of the respiratory system (ARVI, flu, pharyngitis) are noted. The gastrointestinal tract suffers due to the development of stomatitis, peptic ulcer disease, gastroesophageal reflux, impaired motility of the colon (constipation or diarrhea occurs) and even hemorrhoids. Reduced muscle tone. Lethargy, drowsiness, lack of motivation for action appears.
Note! The described symptoms do not become immediately noticeable. At the onset of the disease, only individual symptoms can be diagnosed, but they should already alert.
Features of the fight against binge eating
The approach to binge eating disorder should be a step-by-step approach. First of all, it is necessary to find out the main starting factor and eliminate it. Sometimes only this moment helps the patient to get on the path of recovery. But still, in most cases, complex and long-term therapy is required. Secondly, you need to teach the patient self-control and only then resort to auxiliary treatments.
General tips for binge eating
There are generally accepted norms for a healthy lifestyle. They are the ones that underlie the treatment of this disease. Do not limit the person or use the word "diet" when talking. It is necessary to competently convey to him that this is not a ban, but a correction, with which many manage to heal, improve and increase life expectancy.
Here are some of its principles:
- Elimination of stocks of junk food … Having only healthy food in the home will reduce the frequency of eating any other food. It will be easier for a person to adapt to such a diet, especially if, besides her, he will not find anything on the kitchen shelves. Be sure to exclude snacks with light carbohydrates (cookies, sweets, ice cream) or dry food. It is best to eat your own food in the fresh air. It is imperative to monitor the nutritional value, the optimal content of vitamins and minerals.
- Planning the day … It is good advice to keep a diary in which you can set the time and type of food you eat. It is necessary to indicate all the food eaten for the day, so that later it would be possible to adjust the subsequent recommendations. Daily weighing and training routines, if present, are also practiced. At the end of the week, the results are calculated and evaluated.
- Lifestyle revitalization … This means constant dosed physical activity. This can be either a workout in the gym or a run in the stadium. Any physical activity (going to the store, walking the dog in the park, or cycling) is encouraged, which will help not only activate metabolic processes, but also reduce the amount of free time for overeating. They also contribute to increased resistance to stress and bad moods.
- Sleep regulation … For each individual, based on the daily routine of a person, the optimal hourly intervals for sleep are determined, it must be full and deep. To do this, advise the patient to set the same time for falling asleep and adhere to it every day. To speed up the development of a habit, you can pre-repeat a set of bath procedures every evening. Over time, this will help signal the brain to sleep. It is important to exclude daytime sleep, the unproductiveness of which has been proven and only disrupts the functioning of the body.
- Rejection of bad habits … It is known that alcohol and other psychotropic substances can negatively affect the work of the subcortical structures of the brain. Due to their mechanism of action, they slow down the processes of thinking, have an inhibitory effect on the production of many neurotransmitters, including serotonin, a decrease in the amount of which will certainly lead to a depressive state. This, combined with other factors, will create a problem.
Mental therapy for binge eating
This type of treatment is the most common and effective treatment for eating disorders. A psychotherapist knows best how to deal with binge eating. Specialists of this profile use a variety of techniques that have repeatedly enjoyed success in medicine of our century. Therefore, you need not be afraid and still make an appointment.
Today there are three directions in psychotherapy:
- Personal … Implemented through cognitive behavioral therapy. This method is aimed at changing the outlook of the patient himself. At the first stage, the doctor finds out the main influencing triggers, and at the second stage he teaches how to cope with them. Gradual awareness of the cause helps a person change his attitude towards her, and in the future, even stop noticing. The treatment itself takes place in the form of hourly sessions in individual groups for each in its own time. It is also practiced in combination with other therapies.
- Interpersonal … This technique provides for a broad disclosure of the problem. The main thing here is to establish close contact of the patient with his relatives and friends. It is believed that for people suffering from this disease, the support of the environment is very important. After all, it is their absence that they are trying to replace with food. This type of help has a beneficial effect on a person's attitude towards other people. They become more trusting and more open in society. As a result, the emotional background improves and the risk of depression decreases.
- Hypnotizing … Many people do not like this method of treatment, but its effectiveness never ceases to amaze. First, he faster than others finds in the patient's subconscious the cause of overeating and without any other help can eliminate it. Secondly, carrying out such sessions allows you to get the result after just a few visits, without using any medication. It also has a beneficial effect on the general condition of a person, making him less irritable and withdrawn.
Binge eating disorder medication
Unfortunately, to date, this type of treatment has not found widespread use. There are many different groups of drugs, but their effectiveness is very low. It must also be said that they are almost never used as monotherapy. Most often it is a combination with other treatments.
And yet, based on the etiological factors of the disease, the following groups of drugs are used:
- Anti-depression drugs … Psychotropic substances of a chemical nature, which neutralize the feeling of depression, improve mood, and increase mental activity. Among the best known are Amitriptyline, Paroxetine and Fluoxetine. They are the main and most effective class of drugs.
- Ataractics or Anxiolytics … These are medicinal substances that can suppress anxiety, increased nervousness and feelings of fear. They also relieve emotional stress and correct sleep disorders. Thanks to these effects, the patient will calm down, be more balanced and quiet. Oxydine, Triazolam and Phenazepam are used today.
- Sedatives … They are used quite often and have a good therapeutic effect. The advantage of this group is the natural basis of most drugs and a small number of side effects. They regulate the activity of brain processes, thereby balancing the processes of excitation and inhibition. Speeds up the falling asleep phase. Tincture of valerian, motherwort, Sedavit are used.
- New generation antipsychotics … The derivatives of risperidone and clozapine are the most common derivatives in use today. Their action is based on a beneficial effect on the metabolism of cells of the cerebral cortex. Because of this, the latter become more resistant to the influence of stress hormones (adrenaline, corticosteroids).
- Adaptogens … This group of medicines has a tonic and tonic effect on the entire human body. They are also made on a plant basis, which is why they have practically no contraindications for use. Extracts from leuzea and aralia are used more often than others and are recommended for pathogenetic treatment.
Physiotherapy for binge eating
The application of this method is indirect, but very important. The method, long known, but little used today, is best combined with psychotherapeutic influence. Sometimes even at the same time. There are many methods that become the subject of choice directly for each patient when deciding how to get rid of binge eating disorder.
Here is some of them:
- Breathing exercises … An incredibly effective method, which is now being implemented mainly through yoga. Correct posture of the body, control of the respiratory muscles for the development of a deep, rare breath has a beneficial effect on the psychoemotional state of the patient. It is also a good method in the fight against excess weight.
- Physical exercises … This item provides for a very varied activities. It all depends on the presence of another somatic pathology in a person, his age and physical data. Any kind of sports (walking, running, water procedures) under the supervision of a therapist is welcome. Fast positive symptoms have been proven in the form of a decrease in food intake, a decrease in body weight and an improvement in general condition.
- Acupuncture … This type of action is highly selective and effective. Today there is a map of the human body with projection points of both internal organs and pain centers. Thanks to this, targeted suppression of irritability, anxiety and fatigue is possible. The method has good reviews, but requires a careful selection of a specialist.
How to get rid of compulsive overeating - watch the video:
Binge eating disorder is a disease that responds well to treatment at any stage, but, unfortunately, is very often overlooked. It must be remembered that a timely diagnosis can prevent the development of such formidable complications as obesity, hypertension and type II diabetes mellitus. Therefore, you need to carefully monitor your health and listen to all the advice about a healthy lifestyle.
