Are Healthcare Professionals at Higher Risk of Binge Eating?

According to many experts, binge eating is the most common eating disorder, surpassing anorexia and bulimia, and affects around 3% of the adult population in the United States. While people can develop the disorder at any age, it is most commonly seen in adults between the ages of 46 and 55, and it tends to be more common among women. How many women work in senior care or health care in general and are within this age group? A lot.

Symptoms and the Connection to Healthcare Professionals

After reviewing some of the systems associated with binge eating, it will become clear why it might affect so many people who work in health care. Many individuals who have binge eating issues will often eat an unusually large amount of food at one time. Some will feel that their eating behavior is out of control. Other symptoms include:

Eating faster than usual during binge eating episodes
Eating until one is uncomfortably full
Eating alone due to embarrassment
Eating when one isn’t hungry
Feelings of depression or disgust after binge eating

Other important signs and symptoms of binge eating include experiencing anxiety or sadness about one’s weight and diet choices. Some people will feel isolation and that they are all alone with their problems. They may be unable to express their feelings to others. Some will try different diets without success and experience yo-yo dieting, characterized by losing and gaining weight repeatedly.

Possible Risk Factors

While the causes of binge eating are largely unknown, there appear to be some common risk factors. They include a family history of eating disorders (e.g. parents or siblings have had some type of eating disorder), biological and physiological factors (genetics and neurochemical imbalances), long-term dieting behaviors, emotional and psychological difficulties, and age, usually beginning in one’s teens or early 20s.

Personal Story

I have a friend who is an RN and has worked in senior care for almost 30 years and he admits that many of these symptoms sound like his eating habits and behaviors. As a matter of fact, he believes he developed these binge-like eating habits in nursing school, where he would run from class to class, eating whatever he could and as fast as he could. Does this sound familiar to you?

Complications Caused by Binge Eating

Binge eating is a disorder that is accompanied by a number of possible co-occurring or comorbid conditions. A variety of psychological, emotional, and physical problems may develop as a result of binge eating. Some of these complications are due to obesity, unhealthy lifestyle, and the quality of foods consumed (e.g. high in fat, sodium, sugar and low in nutrients).

Well-known complications associated with binge eating include:

Depression and anxiety
Suicidal ideations or actions
Sleep disturbance
Increased high blood pressure and cholesterol
Type 2 diabetes
Digestive problems
Heart disease
Cancer joint and muscle pain

What Can Be Done?

Primary treatments include psychotherapy and the use of certain medications. Cognitive behavioral therapy attempts to help with coping and the choice of healthier ways of dealing with eating urges. Interpersonal therapy examines the quality of relationships to see if there are connections between them and the dysfunctional behavior. Sometimes antidepressants will be prescribed if the clinician feels there are mood issues involved with binge eating. An anticonvulsant (e.g. Topamax) may also be used to reduce binge eating episodes.

Other treatments include behavioral weight-loss programs, self-help strategies, lifestyle changes, home remedies, support, alternative medicine, and as a last resort, bariatric surgery.

Final Thoughts on Binge Eating

Binge eating affects almost 3 million people in the United States, and it is well-known that obesity is an epidemic. While the act of binge eating is unhealthy, it is also associated with a number of worse health outcomes like heart disease, stroke and cancer. More research is needed to understand what causes this condition and how to best treat it.

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