Food Addiction – Henry Gets A Grip
On The Emotional Side Part 1
Food Addiction had me fooled in the beginning like it does many folks. I focused only on the physical or body aspects of losing weight. When I stopped taking the medications, I went into a “binge/starve” type of eating pattern not uncharacteristic of a food addict. I binged on weekends, gaining five plus or minus pounds, and starved during the workweek to lose the same five plus or minus pounds. I was literally eating myself sick. It was at that point I went to my first licensed mental health practitioner to get counseling. At that time, I thought it was the end of the world to go to a therapist—I thought it proved that I was truly nuts. What I discovered, however, was the beginning of recovery as a food addict and a way to climb out of my irrational thinking and ways of behaving.
Now again at that time the counselor did not talk about me being a food addict. It definitely wasn’t quick and easy though. Sometimes it was uncomfortable to go to the counselor and talk about things. Sort of like going to the dentist. I don’t particularly like going to the dentist—especially when the drilling is going on. However, after I have gone I am very glad I went. In counseling, I worked on how I was thinking and feeling. Most of us are carrying around “old baggage.” We learned how to think and feel in our family – this is one of the foundations of what causes food addiction.
Food Addiction Does Not Mean You Have A Mental Illness
I do want you to know at this point that there is no scientific evidence that those with obesity have any psychological illnesses or character disorders so just because you are obese it does not mean you have a mental illness. It is true issues and challenges you may indeed have like other “slim” or regular weight people. So remember obese people do not have mental illness or character disorder rates any higher than slim or regular weight people. Being overweight is usually not an eating disorder (like Bulimia or Binge Eating Disorder) and does not mean a person has a serious personality disorder although sometimes it does mean there is an eating disorder or a serious personality disorder. Finally, there is no “official” diagnosis of Food Addiction as yet which would be laid out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. After years of study (the last full update was in 1994) and work by mental health professionals there is a massive update of the manual coming out in draft form for comment and the diagnostic term “Food Addiction” may or may not be in the new manual that will be completed in a few years. I will write more on this topic down the road on this blog.
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