Preview

Research Methods Research Proposal on Overeating as an Addiction

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
4160 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Research Methods Research Proposal on Overeating as an Addiction
Is Overeating An Addictive Behaviour?
Comparing Overeating And Substance Abuse Across Addiction Models.

Abstract Both overeating and under eating have been loosely defined in academic journals as addiction disorders, much like drug dependence is widely recognized as today. Although many addictions are habitual, some may have a deeper reasoning behind them. Both food and drugs have intense reinforcing and rewarding effects on some subjects. Addiction is defined in Webster’s as the compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance (as heroin, nicotine, or alcohol) characterized by tolerance and by well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal. A group of 30 men (n = 30) aged 18-30 years old were tested in this study who had either a drug addiction (personality type D), food addiction (personality type O) or neither addictive personality (personality type N). Qualitative measures were used to find out just how addictive food can be to ‘overeaters’. Many forms of instrumentation were used in this study. Participants filled out questionnaires, surveys and were also interviewed during the course of this 2-day trial period. This study has shown significant effects of food on participants with an overeating disorder and thus point in the direction of overeating (and perhaps under eating) as being an addictive behavior.

Introduction Obesity is a major public health issue in North America. Trying to distinguish between overeating and drug dependence as addictions is difficult as there are many parallels between them (Barry et al. 2009). Until recently, overeating was not seen as an addictive behavior, but in recent journal findings, it has been proven to arouse the same reinforcing and reward effects as substance abuse. When animal models become addicted to some types of food, leading to binge eating, certain behavioral components of addiction are shown to have similar neurochemical changes, which also occur with addictive



References: Avena N.M. (2010) The study of food addiction using animal models of binge eating. Appetite, 55, 734-737. Barry D, Clarke M, Petry N.M. (2009) Obesity and its relationship to addictions: Is overeating a form of addictive behaviour? The American Journal on Addictions, 18, 439–451. Davis C., Carter J.C. (2009) Compulsive overeating as an addiction disorder. A review of theory and evidence. Appetite, 53, 1-8. Davis C, Claridge G. (1998) The eating disorders as addiction: a psychobiological perspective. Addictive Behaviors, 23(4), 463–475. de Silva, P., & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1987). Personality and addictiveness in anorexia and bulimic patients. Personality and Individual Differences, 8, 749–751. Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1991). Manual of the Eysenck personality scales. London: Hodder & Stoughton. Feldman, J., & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1986). Addictive personality traits in bulimic patients. Personality and Individual Differences, 7, 923–926. Volkow, N. D., & Wise, R. A. (2005). How can drug addiction help us understand obesity? Nature Neuroscience, 8, 555–560.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    A compulsive overeater cannot keep away from overeating and he always wishes to take more food even after he is full. In this case, compulsive overeating treatment centers are the only hope that can assist compulsive eaters the best. There are many reputed compulsive overeating treatment centers available nowadays. Anyone can get professional help from those treatment centers. There will be professional psychologists as well as therapists who are always wishing to assist you to overcome from eating disorders. So, as a compulsive overeater, there is nothing to worry. Just get in touch with the available compulsive overeating treatment centers and take professional support.…

    • 601 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Andrea Simpson suffers from Binge-Eating Disorder (BED), 307.51. There are several things about her case that make this clear. She has had periods of time in her life when she ate a great deal of food in a short time and she states that she would eat until she was uncomfortably full. When she was in college she never felt out of control during a binge—she always believed she would stop when she finished the piece of food she was eating. However, she reports that this seldom happened, and that usually she would continue eating, which indicates a lack of control.…

    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Read the article by Wilson et. al. on the behavioral approaches to the treatment of eating disorders. Choose an eating disorder that is reviewed in this article and in the text. Review the proposed physiological and behavioral mechanisms of this...…

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Shen, P., Q. Wu, J. Xu, Y. Zhang. 2005. Regulation of hunger-driven behaviors by neural…

    • 934 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are many factors and attitudes, which can have a major influence over an individual's eating behaviour, such as mood, cultural factors or even their parents. Mood can have a major influence over an individual’s eating behaviour. It has been suggested that someone who over eats or under eats, may be suffering from Depression, and they use their eating behaviour as a way of masking their negative mood. It has also been shown that being in a low mood state can result in the desire to eat sweet or starchy foods. This is said to be because carbohydrates help the manufacture of serotonin (neurotransmitter associated with mood). Consuming high carb foods can also be used as a way of self-medicating an individual’s low mood. Verplanken et al (2005) conducted a correlational analysis on mood, impulse buying and the consumption of snacks. In this study, it was found that those with low self-esteem were more likely to impulse buy and consume snacks. It could be said that this is their way of coping with the emotional distress caused by low-self esteem. Therefore supporting the idea that an individual's mood can influence their eating behaviour. However, as this was a correlational study, cause and effect can not be established. It may be that impulse buying causes a lowered mood.…

    • 663 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Objective Binge Eating

    • 140 Words
    • 1 Page

    The amount of objective binge eating episodes greatly reduced when controlling for baseline depression scores amongst pre- and post-treatment over time, however, there was no significant difference found over time for the number of days on which objective binge episodes happened (Courbasson, 2011). However, between pre- and post-treatment, significant changes were reported on the EDE-Q Eating concern scores, EDE-Q Shape concern scores, EDE-Global scores, and EDE-Q Restraint scores. Participants in the group decreased their concerns regarding their shape, weight, eating habits, and worries pertaining to restraint over eating. Treatment outcomes over the sixteen-week period indicated that functioning was significant as it related to the binge…

    • 140 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the article “Where is Self-Control in the Brain,” the author Elizabeth Landau’s discusses that people have lack of self-control when it comes to diet and exercise . Researchers say that people can shape their environments to help avoid temptation and make firm commitments to change. When people who are trying to lose weight are confronted with meal choices. There are two major factors in their decision. Taste and health, says Todd Hare, assistant professor of neuroeconomics at the University of Zurich and Hare 's research shows that dieters who successfully turn down fatty temptations, such as ice cream, put more emphasis on the…

    • 392 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Anorexic Brain

    • 556 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Rosen (2013) reports that anorexia nervosa, a severe eating disorder where a person limits the intake of calories consumed, may not be the individual’s fault. A recent study done by Walter Kaye shows signs that the real reason behind anorexia is not self- enforced, but caused by an odd wiring in the brain. After taking scans of healthy and anorexia affected human brains, Kaye came to the realization that the scans did not match. Studies have shown that the human brain may be able to change how the prefrontal cortex, the self-control center of the brain, works, along with several other sections. Sections of the brain that have been rewired may allow an anorexic person to more easily withstand pain, including gnawing hunger.…

    • 556 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Obesity in children in America is a problem. The sociological factors that cause obesity in children include sociocultural evolution and built environments, especially the advancement of technology, and social control which includes media, advertisements, and peer-pressure. More than one in five children between the ages of 6 and 17 are now considered overweight. The issue of obesity is related to the obvious factor of over eating and also the lack of physical activity. American families over feed their children without realizing it because they want to make sure their children are not hungry or starving. Our bodies adjust their need and requirement of food based on the amount we regularly eat, therefore over feeding children in their early years increases their need for food throughout their lifetime. Food and over eating can become an addiction, which leads to obesity and many health problems. “If the definition of addiction is the habitual use or uncontrollable craving for something, then we…

    • 1370 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Addiction: drugs vs. food

    • 1639 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Millions of people suffer from an addiction of some sort. A person can actually suffer from addictions to all sorts of things. It’s sad to say the first thing that comes to the minds of pretty much everyone when they hear the word addiction, is drugs. Controversy is at an uproar over whether or not food is addictive. As a matter of fact, food is the last thing on a person’s mind when addiction comes about. Though it’s hard to believe yes, there are tons of people who are addicted to food. Really, one could go on to say that food is even more addicting than drugs. Compare the number of overeaters in America to those who are addicted to drugs. Then you’ll see it is clear addiction is a problem in our society, but what’s the difference between the two. While there is a distinct difference in numbers there really isn’t much difference whether it is food addiction or drug addiction.…

    • 1639 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Garner, D.M., & Olmsted, M. P. The Eating Disorder Inventory manual. Odessa, Florida: Psychological Assessment Resources, 1984…

    • 1074 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Food Addiction

    • 1528 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Addiction is a dependence on a substance in which the affected individual feels powerless to stop. Millions of Americans have addictions to drugs, alcohol, nicotine, and even to behaviors such as compulsive gambling and shopping. Our recent studies suggest that millions of Americans are addicted to food, as well. An average American is bombarded daily with random propaganda to try to sell what some would consider "perfection". Most American citizens try to emulate those fictional characters in celebrity magazines. The truth is a lot of those pictures are air-brushed and some of the individuals have had extensive cosmetic surgery and other medical procedures done to look that way. This media manipulation is the main cause for the many eating disorders and the people addicted to them. For most people eating is a satisfying experience. But for some, eating is an impulse. Men and women of all ages force themselves to eat too much or too little, and experience incredible psychological pain when they do. Body weight and image become a fixation that damages relationships and has severe health consequences. Food addiction is a disorder characterized by obsession with food, the accessibility of food and the expectancy of pleasure from the intake of food. Food addiction involves the recurring consumption of food against the individual's better judgment resulting in loss of control and anxiety or the limitation of food and obsession with body weight and image. In today's society the worth of a female is based upon her age, her body size and her looks. The male's worth is based on the amount of money earned or inherited, and athleticism. These images of "perfection" have been engraved in people's minds, forcing them to believe that if they can't live up to the same standards it will mean that they're not good enough. This is a main cause of most disorders and addictions. Some addictionologists believe that society contributes to the development of addictions by establishing…

    • 1528 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    overeating

    • 412 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Caitlin Moran stated that “over eating is the addiction choice of carers, and that’s why its come to be regarded as the lowest ranking of all the addictions”. I feel what she means is overeating is the kind of choice of addiction, which allows a person to be able to function as a normal human being. Overeating is one who uses food and eating as a way to hide from or manage their emotions, to fill a void one feels inside, or to cope with daily stresses and problems in life. The difference of being a drug addict or an alcoholic and overeating is that when a person is on drugs or drunk they are unable to take responsibility for their own actions and cant control what they do or say. When overeaters eat their feelings they can still do their job, take care of their children and live normal lives they just become extremely overweight.…

    • 412 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In this age, an increasing number of Americans are dying of chronic illnesses due to unhealthy behaviors, one of which is adopting poor diets. It is of extreme importance, therefore to study further what exactly triggers binge eating disorder and what methods of treatment can be used to help people suffering from it. Because the onset of binge eating disorder is generally during young adulthood, the causes of it should also be studied. Are young adults so stressed out that they turn to food for comfort? Is there a genetic component that puts some people at risk for developing the disorder? The potential causes are endless, but if anything more can be learned about binge eating disorder, we could potentially prevent young adults from carrying this negative pattern of eating with them for the rest of their lives. This should, logically, lower their risk of chronic (and somewhat preventable) health conditions, like heart disease.…

    • 650 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Leidy, H.J. & Campbell, W.W. (2011, January 1). The Effect of Eating Frequency on Appetite Control and Food Intake: Brief Synopsis of Controlled Feeding Studies. The Journal of Nutrition, 141(1), 154-157. Doi: 10.3945/jn.109.114389…

    • 3946 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Better Essays

Related Topics