The Eye-opening significance of Depression and Overeating
Have you ever felt your depression is leading you to overeat? One of the most widely observed synergies between depression and weight gain is overeating. Overeating behaviors exhibit diversity in different individuals. For some, excessive eating becomes a way to cope with depression. While for many people, overeating results in undesirable bodily changes, ultimately making the sufferer feel guilt. However, gaining insight into the link between depression and overeating is essential for a mental health provider to develop an effective treatment plan for you.
This article is a perfect guide to understanding whether overeating is a sign of depression or not. If yes, then how to stop Depression eating, and what is the link between depression and eating problems?
What is Depression?
Depression is a mental health condition that negatively impacts your mood, accompanied by feelings of sadness and loss of interest in activities you once found pleasurable. Additionally, it can significantly cause difficulties in focusing, thinking, eating, and sleeping. Depression can disrupt your social life, making you feel completely isolated. The causes include genes, environmental problems, and hormonal disruptions.
What is Overeating?
Overeating is excessive eating regardless of being full. When people overeat, they eat even when they are not hungry. It becomes a cause of concern when it becomes a habit and leads to weight gain or eating disorders. Additionally, if you are eating in a controlled manner, then it comes under a regular eating pattern. However, if you exceed the limit of normal eating, then you are at risk of developing an eating disorder.
Depression and Overeating: Which comes first?
Depression and overeating, when combined, can take the form of a complex cycle that is nearly impossible to break. However, it is unclear which developed first, depression or overeating, as both of these conditions strengthen each other. Most people adopt overeating for different reasons; some may rely on overeating to suppress extreme feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or even anxiety. In contrast, others overeat to express their feelings.
This ultimately increases the weight and causes other associated health issues. Additionally, overeating or consuming unhealthy foods leads to a negative body image and lowered self-esteem, increasing the severity of signs of depression.
Learn More: Weight and depression: What’s the link between them?
The Science Behind the Link Between Depression and Overeating
It is complex to understand the logic behind the association between depression and overeating. However, numerous biochemical and psychological components trigger the behavior of overeating led by depression. Foods with high sugar, fat, and salt can be a significant reason for increased dopamine. Dopamine is linked with temporary pleasurable feelings and satisfaction, which is why overeating makes a depressive person feel happy during unpleasant times.
When a person is overeating, the parasympathetic nervous system naturally activates the “rest and digest” response, which is the opposite of the fight-or-flight response. This is a comforting response for a person dealing with depression, as food acts as a tool for achieving a sense of relief.
Who is Affected Most By Depression and Overeating?
In the United States, more than 2 percent of the population over the age of 15 is infected with depression and eating problems. In about one year, 8 million people are diagnosed to have an eating disorder. Depression rates are even higher and are estimated to be around 16% of college students.
Although gender does not always emerge as the primary risk factor for diagnosing depression and eating disorders, it is mainly diagnosed in women. Individuals suffering from depression and overeating have indicated that their disorder first started in their 20- 30s. Nevertheless, the coexistence of eating disorders and depression is also widespread among senior women as well. Recent research revealed that 13 percent of the population, specifically those who are 50 and older, are facing depression and overeating more often.
What are the health risks of depressive overeating?
Depression has been found to have serious health consequences that could even be fatal if it is left untreated.
Weight Gain:
A recent study shows that two-third of depressive people are obese. Consuming large portions of food at a time is the quickest way of fattening up, especially if you don’t exercise.
Heart Disease
Overeating can lead to heart disease. Weight puts pressure on your veins and arteries, making it much harder for the heart to pump blood. Combining that with unhealthy amounts of visceral fat (belly fat) raises your risk of having a heart attack or stroke substantially. The micronutrients in the food you overeat may also cause high cholesterol and blood pressure.
Type 2 Diabetes:
If you are experiencing heart disease, then any unhealthy food will contribute to the development of type 2 Diabetes. When your binge eating episode contains more sweet things than celery sticks, you are adding stress to your blood vessels and training your body to become insensitive to insulin.
What are the best treatment options to overcome depression and overeating?
If a person suffering from depression starts to binge eat, then it becomes challenging to identify which condition led to the other one. Luckily, there is treatment for both conditions. If depression develops first, then getting treatment for this disorder may help a person stop overeating.
Medications:
The medications that are employed in the treatment of depression include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs).
Psychotherapy:
A meeting with a specialist can help determine how to solve problems and overcome specific issues that cause discomfort. In addition, a mental health provider will aid you in identifying negative thinking patterns. They will also help you learn coping strategies like meditation, yoga, and stress management.
Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation:
Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation treats noninvasive neurological disorders involving repetitive magnetic field pulses to neural cells. This can usually be achieved by safely and selectively manipulating the exact areas of the brain associated with depression. In contrast, Deep TMS therapy does not use drugs or medications nor require anesthesia, has demonstrated minimal side effects, and involves no recovery period.
Lifestyle changes:
One way to do this is to exercise regularly, get proper sleep, and maintain a diet. Leisure activities should be balanced. You may also seek the assistance of a nutritionist to help you understand how to develop a healthy eating regime.
Conclusion!
Many people who are diagnosed with depression struggle with overeating, and it only worsens the depression. Overeating is expected when one is depressed, and this results in addition to other complications such as high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, etc. Such problems can, in turn, worsen an existing condition of depression, so which comes first is difficult to say. However, identifying this relationship is crucial for implementing an appropriate treatment. Some options are medicines and prescribed therapy, changes in daily routines such as regular exercise and adequate meals, and advanced therapy like deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (deep TMS) that can help change and enhance mental and physical health. Hence, if you are distressed and confused while experiencing signs of depression or overeating, then Solid Foundation Psychiatry can help you. Our mental health experts are highly trained in treating depression and eating problems. Don’t hesitate to contact us today to diminish the mental turmoil.
