Overeating disorder
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Understanding Overeating Disorder: Psychological, Emotional, and Neurobiological Perspectives
Introduction to Overeating Disorder
Overeating disorder, recently recognized in the DSM-5 and ICD-11, is characterized by recurrent episodes of consuming large amounts of food without compensatory behaviors like vomiting or excessive exercise. This disorder is more prevalent than anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa and is often accompanied by feelings of loss of control, anxiety, depression, or guilt1.
Psychological and Emotional Factors in Overeating
Emotional Overeating and Psychopathology
Emotional overeating is a significant factor in the development and maintenance of overeating disorder. It is often used as a maladaptive strategy to manage negative emotions such as anxiety, sadness, loneliness, and anger1 3. Studies have shown that emotional overeating is significantly associated with binge frequency, eating disorder features, and depressive symptoms, but not necessarily with BMI or gender3.
Compulsive Overeating and Addiction
Compulsive overeating shares many similarities with drug addiction, including the compulsive nature of the behavior and the involvement of similar neurobiological pathways. This perspective suggests that overeating can be driven by habitual behaviors, attempts to relieve negative emotional states, and persistence despite adverse consequences2 5 6. The concept of "food addiction" overlaps significantly with binge eating disorder (BED), indicating that severe cases of overeating may be best understood as a form of addiction5 6.
Neurobiological Underpinnings of Overeating
Neurological Similarities to Addiction
Recent advances in neuroscience suggest that overeating may be a neurological disorder similar to drug or alcohol addiction. This has profound implications for treatment and public health policies aimed at addressing obesity4. The neurobiological substrates involved in compulsive overeating include the basal ganglia, extended amygdala, and prefrontal cortex, which are also implicated in drug addiction2.
ADHD and Overeating
There is a strong association between ADHD and overeating, with inattentive and impulsive behaviors contributing to excessive food consumption. This relationship is thought to be influenced by the addictive nature of high-fat, high-sugar, and high-salt foods, which may serve as a form of self-medication for individuals with ADHD8.
Gender Differences in Overeating
Sex Differences in Emotional and Stress Responses
There are notable sex differences in the mechanisms and drivers of overeating. Stress and negative affect are significant contributors to eating disorders and weight gain, and these factors interact differently with physiological, endocrine, and neural responses in men and women9. Understanding these differences is crucial for developing gender-specific interventions for overeating disorder.
Conclusion
Overeating disorder is a complex condition influenced by psychological, emotional, and neurobiological factors. Emotional overeating, compulsive behaviors, and similarities to addiction highlight the need for comprehensive treatment approaches. Recognizing the role of ADHD and gender differences can further refine these strategies, ultimately improving outcomes for individuals struggling with overeating disorder.
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Most relevant research papers on this topic
Psychological maladaptation of people with overeating
Overeating is a common and maladaptive way to manage negative emotions, and is associated with severe psychological and emotional disorders.
Will Viewing Overeating as Compulsive Lead to Novel Pharmacological Interventions?
Viewing overeating as compulsive may lead to novel pharmacological interventions for binge-eating disorder and other forms of pathological overeating.
Rigorous JournalEmotional overeating and its associations with eating disorder psychopathology among overweight patients with binge eating disorder.
Emotional overeating is significantly associated with binge frequency, eating disorder features, and depression in overweight patients with binge eating disorder, but is unrelated to BMI or gender.
Observational Study
Highly CitedThe neurobiology of overeating
Overeating may be a neurological disorder like drug or alcohol addiction, potentially impacting treatment and public health policies to address obesity.
Compulsive overeating as an addiction disorder. A review of theory and evidence
Compulsive overeating shares clinical features, biological mechanisms, and diathesis with conventional drug addiction, particularly in Binge Eating Disorder (BED).
Literature ReviewHighly CitedCompulsive Overeating as an Addictive Behavior: Overlap Between Food Addiction and Binge Eating Disorder
Binge eating disorder (BED) and food addiction (food addiction) are overlapping disorders, with food addiction being a more acute and pathologically-dense form of binge eating disorder.
Literature ReviewHighly CitedOvereating and binge eating in emerging adulthood: 10-year stability and risk factors.
Overeating tends to remit over time, but binge eating and binge eating disorder show higher rates of persistence or worsening during the transition from late adolescence to early/middle young adulthood.
Observational StudyHighly CitedAttention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Associations with Overeating and Obesity
ADHD is strongly associated with overweight/obesity, potentially due to inattentive and impulsive behaviors, and excessive food consumption as a form of self-medication.
Highly CitedA review of sex differences in the mechanisms and drivers of overeating
Sex differences in overeating mechanisms and drivers exist, with negative affect and stress influencing eating behaviors differently in men and women.
Literature ReviewCharacterizing emotional overeating among patients with and without binge-eating disorder in primary care.
Emotional overeating is more frequent in individuals with binge-eating disorder compared to those without BED, and is associated with loss-of-control eating.
Observational Study