3 ways to identify compulsive overeating in a loved one

At Fairwinds Treatment Center, we are committed to helping individuals overcome their eating disorders, including compulsive overeating, through our dual diagnosis treatment process. However, in order to successfully treat someone, you first have to actually identify whether or not they are actually binge eating.

There are a few signs you should look for in loved ones if you think they may be suffering from this debilitating and highly dangerous illness:

• Are they engaged in sneaky behavior? Binge eaters will often sneak away from family members to eat snacks because they feel that they will be judged for what they are doing. Keep an eye on things like how much food is in your pantry or refrigerator, and see if you notice it going missing frequently.
• Do they try crash dieting frequently? As noted by the UK's National Centre for Eating Disorders, binge eaters will often compensate for overeating by depriving themselves of nutrition, or by purging. This behavior isn't any less harmful, and you and your loved one should seek assistance from a treatment facility.
• Does your loved one use food as a coping mechanism? If you think a loved one is dealing with compulsive overeating disorder, try to identify the their mood whenever they engage in overeating. Are they depressed or anxious about something? Are they stressed out from work? Overeating usually accompanies these kinds of emotions.

If you believe that your loved one requires treatment for their eating disorder, there is no better facility to help them than Fairwinds Treatment Center in Clearwater, Florida. Our staff is trained to deal with both the disorder and any psychiatric condition that may be causing it. Your family member will be in good hands with us, as they will have daily consultations with both a psychiatrist and a nutritionist, along with access to a variety of treatment programs including art therapy and family therapy. For more information, contact us today at (727) 449-0300.