Compulsive overeating is an addiction to food which occurs more commonly in women, but can occur in men.

Often people will overeat to reduce anxiety they might be feeling, or as a way to deal with a stressful situation. The addiction to food most often begins in childhood or during the teen years, and left untreated, intensifies when the person becomes an adult.



The danger with having an addiction to food can be so detrimental due to the fact that the resulting obesity increases their risk of being diagnosed with a large number of other medical illnesses.

Usually the symptoms that occur with compulsive overeating consist of:

* Binging on a large amount of food
* Feelings of depression, and guilt after the person has overeaten
* Ingesting the food faster than normal

There are treatments specifically designed for compulsive overeating:

* Individual behavioral or psychotherapy
* Group therapy such as Overeaters Anonymous
* Antidepressant medication