By starting my article like this: "Eating behavior is regulated by neuropsychological substances such as hormones and neurotransmitters, as well as many metabolic pathways and hedonic systems that provide homeostasis.", I do not start like this because I know that I will guarantee that this article will not be read. But if you are still reading this article, it means that you have also read this academic definition about hunger and satiety balance.
When we look at nature, we do not encounter excessive fatness (obesity), unless there is a physiological problem in that creature. So obesity is the problem of modern man. By the way, obesity is also seen in our pet cats and dogs that we neuter, but we humans have a hand in that too. Obesity is a physical condition. If there is no physiological or hormonal problem, the reason is very simple: overeating and inactivity. In other words, it is the positive difference between the energy received and the energy spent. But there is a cycle like this: the person eats too much, the more he eats, the more he gains weight, his movements are restricted, and the more his movements are restricted, the more he gains weight. This cycle must be broken at two points. Increasing movement and, more importantly, decreasing the amount of eating.
Binge eating was defined as Binge Eating Disorder (BED) only in the late 1990s and took its place in DSM-5. There is no need to extend the article by talking about the diagnostic criteria here, but the important point we need to know is this: if a problem is defined in the DSM, that problem is in the field of psychology. We actually know BED in daily life: emotional hunger.
I think it is easier to understand now that the situation is defined like this. Physical hunger occurs in all organisms and the conditions for its elimination are obvious, getting enough nutrients. It is at this point that the difference between sensation and emotion comes into play. Sensation is what we perceive and we notice it with our sense organs, and emotion is our mood. Sense and emotion are very close to each other, not only as written words but also as psychological experiences. For this reason, hunger or satiety, which are sensations, pass into the realm of emotion without us noticing. The transition here is very, very easy and many people become unable to control their hunger urges. The sensory impulse has turned into an emotional desire.
In the first place, the differences between the concepts of emotional hunger and physical hunger It would be appropriate to look at . Emotional hunger appears suddenly, while physical hunger appears gradually. In emotional hunger, you crave foods such as chocolate, candy, ice cream, pizza and chips, but if you eat them, you feel full. It doesn't matter what you eat during a physical deficit, it is important to fill your stomach and you can wait for that for a while. In emotional hunger, you continue to eat even if you are full. In physical hunger, you stop eating when you are full. In emotional hunger, you do not feel hungry for beneficial foods. For example, yoghurt, milk, carrots, etc. You don't want to, instead you look for foods like ice cream and chocolate. In addition, emotional hunger increases in feelings of guilt after eating.
As a result of research, it is now known that BED, or emotional hunger, is highly associated with anxiety states or depressive moods.
>BED was approached from a psychoanalytical perspective after the 80s. According to the psychoanalytic view, eating behavior is considered the oldest and most primitive way of keeping the body under control. It has also been noted that personality traits such as impulsivity and addiction are more common in people with binge eating. They determined that obesity, depression, exposure to negative evaluations regarding body and appearance, and lack of self-confidence, which occur in childhood and in family members, are important factors in the formation of emotional hunger.
Cognitive behavioral views, negative or traumatic experiences at an early age, He says that it causes the individual to produce negative thoughts about himself. An individual's negative beliefs about himself/herself may manifest themselves if a comment is made about his/her weight, body shape, or eating behavior, and may cause negative automatic thoughts (such as "I am a failure") and associated emotional responses (such as feeling distressed). As a result of distressing emotional responses, both positive thoughts about eating behavior (such as "If I eat, my distress will decrease", "Food gives pleasure") and negative thoughts (such as "If I eat, I will gain weight") may arise. The person eats to reduce emotional distress. If he eats k, after this behavior he may produce new thoughts such as "I can't stop myself" and that eating cannot be controlled. In the individual who feels emotionally relieved by binge eating, this behavior tends to repeat and binge eating behavior can become a habit.
Now the person is suffering from emotional hunger. Thus begins the cycle, the person eats to suppress their emotions. In situations where it is difficult to cope with stress, tension, feeling of loneliness and many similar catastrophic, negative emotions, the 'emotional void' is tried to be filled with the pleasure of eating. The easiest method is to give candy and chocolate to a sad, crying child and make him/her shut up. This behavior also prevents the child from discovering the possibility of consoling himself when he is upset. It is very natural for an adult who grew up with this behavioral pattern to use the same method. However, when the act of eating is finished, the person has to deal with the feeling of regret.
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