Binge Eating: An Analysis and Discussion into Its Determinants and Effects - Research Paper Example

Binge Eating: An Analysis and Discussion into Its Determinants and Effects Of all of the many aspects of human psychology that have come to be recognized within the past several decades, it is arguable that some of the most visible of these are with respect to the litany of different disorders that been categorized, named, and understood. Whereas within the past era, psychological disorders were lumped into a single category and rather poorly understood, misdiagnosed, and left largely untreated, the current era is one in which the individual has come to be fully aware of the ways in which these psychological disorders can impact upon human health, environmental safety, and the way in which personal development can take place. Without going into a range of details, evidence of this can be seen with regards to the way that bulimia, anorexia, ADHD, and aspergers has come to be defined and understood. Naturally, this is not to say that each of the entities of the aforementioned list are somehow comparable; rather, it merely denotes the fact that psychological discovery and understanding of a range of human disorders and psychological manifestations has been realized. The following analysis will use as a specific example of this development the way in which the heating has come to be recognized as a discernible psychological disorder that, like many of the psychological disorders listed above, can be treated, and oftentimes ultimately reversed. As a means of understanding been heating to a more full and complete degree, the following analysis will present a preliminary discussion of how it was initially understood, the means through which is evidenced, some of the side effects that it engenders, and the ways in which medical professionals are seeking to limit the impacts of with regards to treatment, pharmacological interventions, and counseling. Originally, binge eating was merely understood as a type of disorder that was caused as a result of a complete breakdown in the lack of self-control that individual might otherwise exhibit. As might be expected, this particular definition and understanding of binge eating began to crumble as medical professionals and psychologists alike began to understand the true motivating causes behind why binge eating would take place. Within the current era is understood that a great many causes could be the reason for why an individual might engage in binge eating (Rehfeldt, 2011). A number of studies have indicated that prior levels of dietary constraints, or an occurrence in which a particular lack of nutrition and/or food existed within the life of the individual, promotes the likelihood that binge eating will ultimately take place at some point within the lifetime of the individual in question. Another component of binge eating that has recently been understood is with regards to those individuals who oftentimes go on extreme diets as a means of losing a vast weight and/or preparing particular role, life as a model, or some other aspect of personal appearance. What is been noted is that these individuals are at a greatly increased likelihood of developing binge eating is sort are due to the fact that their body and psychology settles into a state of mind that the hardship and/or starvation diet that they might be undergoing it anyone given time will merely lead to a period in which they can once again courts themselves and prepare for the future level hardship that may await them if they choose to go back on the diet and/or lifestyle that originally prompted this choice (Schlinger & Normand, 2013). As a means of understanding this, one need not delve too deeply into the world of psychology. What is meant by this is the fact that evolutionary biology explains the way in which the human body seeks to store up energy reserves, that, and nutrients for such a time that these resources may not be available to them (McIntyre et al., 2007). This is very much an evolutionary and psychologically ingrained aspect of human nature. In this way, rather than viewing binge eating disorder as something of a disorder that can afflict nearly anyone, it is wise to consider the increased risk factors that certain types of behavior can necessarily placed upon the individual. Extreme dieting is an especially bad for an individual’s health and portends a great many negative health complications for the individuals that take part in it. Naturally, the dangers of obesity and being overweight have long been discussed with regards to the literature and the current media. However, what is not often discussed is the fact that swinging from one extreme to the next is more damaging to health than is retaining a given body weight (Ewot et al., 2005). As such, those individuals who engage in binge eating are oftentimes prone to this behavior due to the fact that their psychological understanding of their body image as that they reduce their weight and go on some semblance of a starvation diet; only to give up on this and fall back into the trap of binge eating as a means of preparing for the next round of physiological torment that they will put their bodies through. An interesting psychological complement of binge eating is not with regards to the fact that the individual engages in binge eating by throwing out any and all hope that they can maintain a given body weight in a given instant. Rather, what is oftentimes seen as the trigger for binge eating is an individual coming to the realization that they had cheated on their diet and therefore continuing it is ultimately worthless so they might as well enjoy what food they can; since all hope of abiding by the prior dietary restrictions that they might have set for themselves is lost. As with so many other psychological issues, binge eating, as has been defined above, ultimately targets the individual through a flawed perception of self and a faulty progression of logic. Although it is true that individuals who suffer from weight gain and/or potential obesity can be too hard on themselves and expect perfection as a means of keeping the weight off, it is also highly important to integrate a new understanding of what it means to go off one’s diet and how to get back on without completely derailing the process, endangering one’s health, and engaging in binge eating. As a function of this, many counselors, physicians, nutritionists, psychiatrists, and psychologists have encouraged a brief discussion and reanalysis of the process of dieting in and of itself (Schreiber-Gregory et al., 2013). Like so many aspects of the current culture, dieting has become a means to an end with regards to seeking to improve one’s body image and, more attractive with respect to the current societal definitions of beauty. However, as professionals in the medical community, beauty in and of itself, although tangentially important with respect to self image, is not the end determinant that these individuals should be seeking (Clyne et al., 2010). In this way, as a function of treatment for individuals who suffer from binge eating disorder, medical professionals have encouraged those individuals who suffer from BED (binge eating disorder) to engage in a more nuanced understanding of dieting with respect to the way in which it impacts upon overall body help (Sonneville et al., 2013). Due to the fact that binge eating is a representation of despair and hopelessness with regards to the overall level of weight that an individual can hope to lose, medical professionals instead seek to shift the logic of the individual towards an understanding of the fact that help in and of itself is the most important determinant. As such, seeking to reroute the dieting process to promote health and longevity of beauty is the primary goal through which counselors and other medical professionals engage the patient (Yu & Selby, 2013). In such a way, medical professionals have come to the understanding that seeking to build confidence and self-esteem within the patient is one of the more appropriate means through which binge eating can be reduced. Due to the fact that beauty and self image are ultimately the contributing factors that provide a breakdown in logic that encourages binge eating to take place in the first place, those that seek to assist individuals suffering from binge eating oftentimes turn to means of engaging an appreciation of current self eminage and delineating how health can be maximized while at the same time seeking to preserve such an understanding of self worth and self esteem (Grupski et al., 2013). This is a difficult task to accomplish as each and every individual has different determinants through which they seek to measure themselves; however, as long as the medical professional is not opposed to encouraging counseling as a means of improving the situation, rather than merely prescribing medicine – something that is all too oftentimes done – it is likely that the patient will be able to experience a drastic reduction in the prevalence of this disorder. Recent studies with respect to individuals treated from a multi-faceted standpoint revealed that the recovery rate exceeded 80% (Edwards, 2007). As with any medical condition, there is not a one-size-fits-all with respect to the best practice for improving the health, lifestyle, and physiological impacts on the individual in question. Rather, a number of cognitive behavioral therapies have been promoted with respect to seeking to engage the stakeholder and improve upon their dietary and eating habits. This includes but is not limited to teaching sessions with regards to the attrition, interpersonal psychotherapy, and the utilization of pharmacological techniques such as the antidepressant Wellbutrin (Beavers et al., 2013). As with most forms of treatment, although the pharmacological approach is effective, it engenders a great many negative side effects that are generally attributed to the use of antidepressants (Tanofsky-Kraff et al., 2012). These include but are not limited to anorexia, a decrease in libido, and potential further depression/suicidal thoughts and intentions. An understanding and appreciation for the way in which it binge eating affects the individual has been and necessary contribution of this brief unit of analysis. As such, it is the hope of this author that the reader of this brief piece will be able to integrate with a further and more nuanced identification of the fact that binge eating is not merely a lack of restraint upon the individual; but rather is and identifiable, treatable, and definitive psychological disorder. Furthermore, by being able to understand the determinants and causation’s that likely trigger binge eating disorder, the reader can further come to the appreciation of the fact that medical professionals have, just like with so many other psychological disorders of the past several decades, come to a more appropriate identification of the means of response and approach that science should take in seeking to treat individuals with this particular condition. References Beavers, G. A., Iwata, B. A., & Lerman, D. C. (2013). 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The Interaction Between Affective Lability and Interpersonal Problems in Binge Eating. Journal Of Social & Clinical Psychology, 32(5), 465-481. doi:10.1521/jscp.2013.32.5.465 Read More