One thing that never fails to shock me is the general attitude towards binge eating disorder. I’ve heard all manner of very negative aspersions cast which generally all point towards the idea that someone suffering from binge eating is simply lazy and fat and that if they wanted to change they could.
Well, here’s a newsflash; they can’t.
Different outside, same inside
Despite their very different outward appearances, people suffering from binge eating disorder are suffering from many of the same psychological problems as people suffering from anorexia or bulimia. One might be very underweight, the other very overweight, but they share a hatred of their own body, severe concerns about their shape and their weight and they share a common medicine – food. One deprives himself whilst the other over indulges, but both are using food (or lack thereof) to numb their pain and try to make sense of and take control of the emotional turmoil they’re feeling.
Completely out of control
To an uninformed outsider, ‘fixing’ a binge eater’s problems may appear quite simple. Just eat less and exercise more. Surely? But it’s not that easy. To the compulsive over eater, food is like a drug – you wouldn’t expect a drug addict or a chain smoker to go cold turkey would you? One of the most difficult things about this disorder is that it’s a vicious cycle. The sufferer is depressed about their shape and weight (amongst other things, often) they eat to numb their pain, they gain weight and become more depressed about their shape and weight. And so it goes on. This cycle quickly gets completely out of control and cannot be broken without a huge amount of psychological and physical support.
They want to change
I’ve heard many people say that binge eaters don’t want to change, that they enjoy their food and they don’t want to eat less. This is entirely untrue. They may enjoy their food (though they often have a love-hate relationship with it) but often, they desperately want to eat less, lose weight and break their reliance on food, but they simply can’t do it on their own.
Need support and help
(Hopefully) you wouldn’t expect an anorexic or a bulimic to recover from their illness without appropriate help and support, and the same is true of compulsive eaters – though they are often overlooked. Where these pupils are offered help and support it’s usually aimed purely at reducing their weight. Whilst this is not an unimportant endeavour – much like weight gain for an anorexic is an important part of recovery – it is not the most important issue to address. What is far more important is to provide psychological and emotional health and support. The excess weight sufferers carry is merely a symptom of a psychological illness. If the root cause isn’t tackled then even if they do succeed in shedding some weight, they are likely to regain it again when the underpinning psychological issues take hold.
Binge eating disorder is a serious mental health issue
Like the other eating disorders, binge eating is a serious mental health issue and it needs to be treated as such. It should not be disregarded as a result of laziness or greed. This simply isn’t true. Compulsive overeaters are often clinically obese, every one of the excess pounds that the sufferers carry is a result of psychological hurt, trauma or confusion and only by providing genuine support and attempting to understand the underlying causes can we help sufferers to find themselves again and take control.
Long-term ramifications for mental and physical health
Left untreated, compulsive overeating can have a lasting impact on sufferers’ physical and mental health. Many sufferers will suffer from – or even die from – related health issues such as heart attack, diabetes or stroke if their weight is left uncontrolled over long periods. Their psychological health is at risk as well if the root cause of their disorder is not tackled, meaning that they will have a very poor quality of life day to day. This sometimes even results in suicide.
What you can do
If you suspect that a young person is suffering from binge eating disorder, you should consider approaching them in much the same way you might approach a young person suffering from anorexia or bulimia. If a young person in your care suffers from rapid or sporadic weight gain, any type of personality change, especially of a depressive nature, or who you know to be going through a difficult period in their life, then they may be suffering. Try to give them the opportunity to talk. There is help available in the form of self-help programmes, counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy and a specific type of anti-depressants (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). Most GPs will be able to help, or you can talk to your local CAMHS in the UK or an equivalent mental health service for young people in other countries.
