PSYCHOLOGIST SHARES HER STORY ON WINNING BATTLE OF THE BINGE
Winning battle of the binge
PSYCHOLOGIST Katie Richard knows about binge eating more than most.
The Cairns-based practitioner and author has battled binge eating and has just written a book on the illness called Weight Off Your Mind.
“Binge eating is a mental health disorder, which includes eating a large amount of food more than two times a week,” she said.
“It comes along with selfesteem issues.”
She said binge eating was a more common illness than other eating disorders.
“It really can affect anyone at any age, unlike other eating disorders which mostly affect adolescents,” she said.
“It has a twofold affect on the body. On one level there is the calorie increase that causes weight gain,” she said.
“The other is that it causes low self-esteem and body image problems.
“Binge eating is mostly triggered by emotional distress, but it can also be caused by traumatic events such as sexual abuse.”
Dr Richard said there were several types of treatment that could assist in recovering from binge eating.
“People seem to think that it’s as easy as going on a diet and exercising because it’s often perpetuated by the media that binge eating is just a weight problem,” she said.
“It is important to recognise that it is a disorder and it can be treated with psychological help.
“Cognitive behavioural therapy is often used and so is medication such as antidepressants.”
She said the outlook for most people battling binge eating disorders was positive.
“You can go into remission spontaneously,” she said.
“For others it is a continuous disorder that can be treated with medicines in the longterm.”