- Hey everybody, happy Thursday!
Now today we're gonna talk about binge eating disorder,
what possibly could cause it and how can we overcome it.
But before we jump into that, are you new to my channel?
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But let's jump into this topic.
Now today's topic is based around a question
I received from one of our wonderful viewers
and the question is:
Hey Kati,
I was wondering if you could go more
into obesity slash compulsive eating?
I've lived with this for a very long time
and I know at least some of the time
that I'm trying to fill a void,
but I haven't been able to figure it out as of yet.
Any suggestions?
And I am in therapy again.
Now just to make sure that we're all on the same page,
first let's talk about binge eating disorder.
Which is what obesity and compulsive eating
technically falls under.
And the reason I think this is important
is because all the things that I hear from my patients
and viewers who struggle with BED
is that the number one issue they have
is around shame and embarrassment.
Many sharing how they haven't been offered
proper care or their symptoms brushed off
because they aren't underweight.
And I want you all to know up front
that every eating disorder is worthy of proper care
and the more that we make people aware of this fact
and talk about it, hopefully the more people
will reach out and receive the care
that they so desperately need and deserve.
And just for the record, I know that
obesity can happen for many reasons
whether it be a medical condition that we have
or something to do with our hormones
or maybe we're on a medication
that just causes our metabolism to completely shut down.
But what we're gonna talk about today
has more to do with binge eating disorder
and compulsive eating.
In order to meet the criteria for binge eating disorder,
someone must have recurrent episodes of binge eating
and the DSM defines binge eating
as eating in a short amount of time
an amount of food that is definitely larger
than what most people would eat
in a similar amount of time and given similar circumstances.
And I just kinda wanna pause there for a second
and let you absorb that because it's gonna vary
person to person but what we're talking about
is a quote on quote like normal amount.
And so if we feel like we're eating quickly
and more than most people, the DSM would be like,
Hey, I think that could be a binge.
The DSM also states that in order for it
to be considered a binge, we have to have a sense
of lack of control over eating during the episodes.
So not only are we eating more
and in a shorter period of time
but we also just feel completely out of control
while we're doing it.
Then the binge eating episodes
must be associated with three or more of the following:
number one, eating much more rapidly than normal.
Two, eating until we're uncomfortably full.
Three, eating large amounts of food
when not feeling physically hungry.
Four, eating alone because of feeling
embarrassed by how much we're eating.
Five, feeling disgusted with oneself,
depressed or guilty following
the period of time that we ate.
We must also be distressed about our binge eating
and it must occur at least once a week for three months.
And the binge eating cannot be associated
with any inappropriate compensatory behaviors.
When that's kind of like in relation to
bulimia where we purge or maybe we run
and exercise or maybe we use laxatives.
Any of that is not related to BED,
that would make us fall into another
eating disorder category.
Now just so we're all on the same page,
the DSM if you didn't know, stands for
the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
of Mental Disorders and really what that is used for
is as a clinician, it helps me make sure
that I'm giving a proper diagnosis.
People also utilize the DSM as a way to get coverage
from their insurance, if they require a code
it can come either from the DSM or the ICD-11.
And so it just gives you an idea
that we have these manuals we follow
in order to properly diagnose and treat.
Now that we've defined how binge eating disorder
is diagnosed, let's get into it's causes and treatment.
And first, let's start with the causes.
And obviously, they don't know for sure
what causes BED but they do know
that there is genetic component to all eating disorders.
And if someone in our family has had
an eating disorder, we are are 46 to 72 percent
more likely to have one as well.
And that's an extremely large correlation,
I looked at a bunch of different research studies
and same saying you know we're seven times more likely,
others saying we're ten times more likely
but all we know is there is an extreme genetic link
and if someone in our family's had it,
it is very possible that we could have one, too.
Aside from the genetic component in my experience,
having a trauma in our past like abuse
or just witnessing a frightening event,
can lead to an unhealthy coping skill
such as an eating disorder.
I also find that patients of mine,
who are placed into a body focused activity
at an extremely young age, are much more likely
as well to struggle with an eating disorder.
This could be something like gymnastics
or horse riding and I offer up those triggers
or causes because many of my patients
have said that they now overeat
as a way to numb out from a painful memory
and that trauma they experienced.
Or they've been overeating as a way
to make themselves unattractive,
usually as a result of past sexual abuse.
Also many of my patients have said
that there was so much pressure on them
as children to look a certain way
and do really well in a certain sport
that they always just felt really
out of control with their body and with food.
And once they could make their own choices
and they were out of that sport or activity,
they found themselves binging frequently.
And just like the person said in this question,
many people also report that they feel
that they're eating to fill a void.
And that could be an emotional void
that was left by an emotionally absent parent.
If you want more information on healing
from sexual abuse, emotional neglect
or just building a better body image,
I'll link my videos about those topics in the description.
Again, we do not know the exact causes
of binge eating disorder or any eating disorder
for that matter, but we do know what
can lead up to it based on research
and based on our own experiences, right?
So let's get into treatment,
and the one thing that we know
can help prevent us from developing
an eating disorder regardless of our heredity
is having many healthy coping skills that we can pull from.
Because in my experience, my patients report
wanting to stop binging but not knowing
how to replace eating disorder urge
or the feeling it gives us afterwards.
While we can't simply stop using
our eating disorder behavior and expect the urges to go away
we can find other ways to try and manage them.
And if we're able to work on the real reason
that our eating disorder exists
like in therapy and at the same time
try other tools to help us manage those urges,
we can overcome it.
So here's my homework for you:
first, start tracking your eating disorder behavior
and what happened the days it was at it's worst.
It's helpful for us to know what our triggers are,
so that we can prepare ahead for the next time.
Number two, I want you to start
making a list of ways you could distract
yourself from the urges.
Such as going for a walk,
working on a project at home: coloring,
watching a funny TV show or YouTube video.
Three, start making a list of things
that we can do to process how we feel healthily.
If you find you binge most when you're stressed out,
let's find some ways to better process that stress.
Maybe planning out our days, making lists,
delegating tasks, you know how much I love lists.
But, or if you find yourself binging most
when you feel sad or unloved,
then maybe we need to bring this up in therapy.
Talk through where these feelings came from
and let ourselves feel that uncomfortable emotion
for maybe ten or 15 minutes
before we try to distract healthily.
And I added that in there
because I always have my patients,
while distracting is super helpful
and it gets us kinda out of that impulsive
urge to act out an eating disorder behavior,
we really need to process through something.
So while distraction's great,
always add in a component of process, okay?
And four, setting up a safety plan with your therapist
in relation to this.
And I usually have my patients,
just to give you an idea of how I set these up,
I have my patients try three to five distraction tools,
then two process tools, then wait 30 minutes
and then you can do whatever the hell you want.
I know that sounds like a lot
or maybe not enough, or you're like
how do you let them off the hook like that?
But by forcing yourselves to at least
give the tools a try, help us figure out
what works and doesn't and it also helps us see
that if we wait it out a little bit,
the urge goes away.
Sort of like it does with OCD.
So in a way a safety plan is supposed to help us
practice the tools, see what works and doesn't work
and then hopefully overcome the urges slowly with practice.
And the fifth, you knew this was coming,
be patient!
It's a process not perfection.
You didn't develop binge eating disorder overnight,
so it won't go away quickly either
and yes, when we're doing a hard work in therapy.
Where we're focusing on the true cause
of our eating disorder, which could be trauma,
having an emotionally absent mother, et cetera.
It can get worse at first,
because your binge eating disorders
been your coping skill for a really long time.
But just work at it, often
and trust me, it can get better.
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I hope you found that information helpful.
As always, share your thoughts on this topic
in the comments down below.
Did I leave something out?
Do you think there are more causes
or tips that I didn't mention?
Let us know in those comments.
And I will see you next time, bye.