The symptoms of compulsive overeating disorder are similar to those for the symptoms of binge eating disorder. Unfortunately, people tend to recognize the anorexia symptoms or bulimia signs as indications that someone has an eating disorder. But emotional overeating, or compulsive eating disorder, is just as addictive and can take control of your life just like the other eating disorders. Emotional overeating is not a specific diagnosis in the DSM, but binge eating is being seriously considered for inclusion in the DSM V.
Symptoms of Compulsive Overeating Disorder
You have gained a significant amount of weight (sometimes quickly) because you cannot control what you eat or how much you eat
You are afraid of not being able to control how much you eat or that you won't be able to stop
You are constantly on a diet or you think about being on a diet regularly
You are unsuccessful when you try to diet, or you are successful for a period of time and then you put the weight right back on (and usually then some)
You hate your body or you are seriously dissatisfied with your body image
You talk about body image frequently
You think about food constantly - even to the point of obsession
You talk about food more than most people
You avoid eating with other people because you are embarrassed by how much you eat
You feel guilty for eating as much as you do
You refuse to believe that you will suffer consequences as a result of maintaining such a high body weight
You perspire easily
You are frequently out of breath when walking a short distance or climbing stairs
Your emotions control your eating patters, e.g. you eat when you are upset, stressed, happy, depressed, excited
You often feel depressed or overly anxious
You never seem to feel full, even when you have eaten so much it hurts
You have rigid rules or rituals around food
You are socially isolated, with little to no desire to be around other people
When something goes wrong in your life, you blame the fact that you are fat
You hoard food, saving it for a time when you can eat it in secret
You spend large amounts of money on food
You think very negatively about yourself and you do a lot of negative self-talk
You feel as if the only friend you have is food
You suffer from chronic pain, usually in your joints (from excessive weight)
You have been labeled obese
You have difficulty sleeping and may suffer from sleep apnea
You typically overeat on foods that have high carbohydrate and sugar contents (like donuts, cakes, muffins, chips, etc.)
Emotional eating or compulsive overeating disorder does not have to rule your life. With treatment you can get your eating under control. You have to ... your life depends on it.
