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In a previous post we looked at where compulsive overeating crosses the line into binge eating disorder – a mental health illness now included in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).
Just because you cannot be clinically diagnosed with binge eating disorder, does not mean you aren’t suffering from significant issues around food, weight and body image.
Some compulsive eaters maintain a “normal” weight but have periods of uncontrolled eating, and the reverse is also true – not all people who are obese are compulsive overeaters or have binge eating disorder.
Unlike other people who occasionally eat large meals or snacks, compulsive overeaters feel out of control and ashamed about what they’ve eaten or how much they ate.
In self-help programs like Overeaters Anonymous (OA), people apply a spiritual approach to their problems with food. Some members also get professional help from therapists and dieticians, and others find all the recovery and healing they need within the 12-step rooms.
OA offers a set a questions – symptoms – that prospective members can use to identify themselves as compulsive eaters. Before they even walk into a meeting, they can find comfort that they’re not alone, realizing that other people answered “Yes” to these questions as well.
To review this list of compulsive overeating symptoms, visit:
http://www.oa.org/newcomers/is-oa-for-you/
We have a new Overeating Recovery Group beginning on Tuesday, January 6, 2015. Click below for more details:
https://whitepicketfencecounselingcenter.com/events/overeating-recovery-group-3