What Is The Role Of Control In Binge Eating And Other Eating Disorders?

In binge eating as well other eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia, the primary issue is control. While these conditions may occur due to a variety of psychological factors, the basic driving force behind all of them is essentially control. The difference is in the way patients go about trying to exercise control.

While patients suffering from bulimia take to regurgitation as the extreme mode of exercising control over their lives, the issue is slightly different in the case of anorexia patients. These patients drastically reduce their food intake. In both these cases, wafer thin bodies are the order of the day. These are often accompanied by an underlying vast range of health problems, from kidney malfunction to gastrointestinal disorders to cardiac problems. In the case of binge eaters, the process is reversed, and the physical manifestation is in the form of overweight and obese bodies, again along with attendant health concerns.

However, while control has been cited as the issue, patients lose out on this vital issue in the long run. While they cut down on food, regurgitate, or go on an eating spree to retain control over themselves, they are unable to retain control over their food habits. Control is what finally does them in.