Mood Disorders & Eating
When people are in emotional pain they find ways of coping. Sometimes the coping techniques merely compound the underlying issue or issues. Overeating or not eating at all or routinely binging after eating are all signs of a person who is in distress and suffering from a disorder such as depression, anxiety or obsessive compulsiveness. Other factors come into play as well.
Biological and/or Psychological
If you come from a long line of overweight or obese people, chances are that you, too, are genetically predisposed to be overweight. If your family members also tend to be depressed or suffer from other mood disorders, you are genetically vulnerable and may well suffer from mood disorders, according to National Eating Disorders Association. Does obesity cause the mood disorders or the other way around? If a person has low self-esteem and is prone to anxiety, loneliness, depression or anger and often feels out of control, this can precipitate an eating disorder, which may manifest itself in overeating or not eating at all.
Sociocultural
Our society is inundated with images of thinness--on television and the Internet and in magazines. Children are susceptible and impressionable. They are getting a steady diet of "thin is in," and this reinforces the notion that having some meat on your bones just isn't acceptable.
Dysfunctional Environment
If a child or an adult is living in a highly dysfunctional atmosphere, he may turn to food for comfort. Those who are apt to develop eating disorders tend to be perfectionists or those with family and relationship problems. Impulsive types or individuals who are harboring anger are also susceptible, according to the Mayo Clinic. Mood disorders and eating orders are interlinked. If a person is not suffering from a mood disorder, the likelihood of developing an eating disorder, or any other kind of addiction, is probably not as great.
Victims of Sexual Abuse
Studies have found that victims of sexual abuse, who may suffer their entire lives from the horrific experience of being violated, may overeat so that they can hide behind their weight. If a person becomes extremely overweight and, in her mind, is unattractive, then she doesn't have to worry about being a "target" of sexual predators, according to Something Fishy, a website on eating disorders (see Resources section). She becomes a nonsexual entity and that makes her feel safe.
Puberty
Puberty is a perilous time in a variety of ways. A child's body is changing, and sometimes the child feels out of control--of her life and of her body. This can lead to mood and eating disorders, according to KidsHealth (see Resources section). When someone feels out of control and attempts to regain control of his life, one approach is to become inordinately interested and obsessive about food--what to eat, what not to eat, when to eat, how much or little to eat, avoid eating, get rid of the food after eating. It can become an overriding preoccupation that has disastrous results on the child's mental and physical health. Puberty is a precarious time for many children and, unfortunately, some become victims of anorexia or bulimia during this perilous transitional period.
Addiction
For some people, eating is an addiction just as booze and drugs or sex and gambling are for other people. Compulsive overeating fills a void or a need that is not being met otherwise. If a person is ill-equipped emotionally, for whatever reason, to cope with rejection or feelings of inadequacies or frustration, some turn to food for comfort, which, for them, compensates for the overwhelming emotions and feelings that they can't handle.
Tags: mood disorders, after eating, disorders according, Disorders Eating, eating disorder