I am aware that this is not a doctor's office, but I'm looking for some advice until I can get to one. I am broke and have no insurance, and I'm in a free mental health program that can't really help.
I really don't like to talk about this, but I think I may have a binge-eating disorder. I talked to my counselor recently, for the first time, and she talked to my psychiatrist. He told me that the only thing that will help me is willpower, and a regular doctor will tell me the same thing and probably won't prescribe me anything. Then he kinda brushed me off. (what do I really expect? it's a free program.) WTF??? That's the PROBLEM! I have no willpower.
Has anyone ever had this problem and have any tips or advice to stop it? I read that it's triggered by stress and depression, but not for me, so that doesn't help. I can't eat when I'm stressed or sad. I think it's a compulsion. I have symptoms of OCD, and the psychiatrist said this too, but then he just blew that off. Maybe this has a connection?
Ok, here's what happens. When everyone in the house is asleep, I eat everything I can find that I'm not too lazy to cook. Even when I feel sick, I still feel like I NEED something. Like I have a craving for something, but I don't know what it is, so I eat everything and never find what I thought I wanted. I've done this for a long time, and never told anyone except for when I told my counselor.
So does anyone have any brilliant tips on how to tame this evil problem, or is anyone else dealing with it? It is really driving me crazy.

it is not about food, and not about stress. i don't know what kind of unqualified "Doctors" they have at this health clinic, but the classic signs of OCD are there.

it is about CONTROL. You have a craving, you HAVE TO get rid of it. it is impulse control, and while willpower may help, you need to perform a bit of psyo-anlysis on yourself.

Why do you eat? it is clearly not actually about food. What emptions are going through your system as you look and eat the food. frustration in life? Satisfaction from eating? Trying to eat away the pain from something else? Once you get the root of your behavior, and find a more constructive way to deal with these emotions, you can wean yourself off of the binge eating.

You say you have never told anyone, but don't the people in your house notice the food is missing? Perhaps there is a subconscious desire to "get caught", so you can begin discussing the problem. growing up, did your mother or anyone else put a lot of emphasis on weight and diet. Perhaps your binge eating stems from that, and a desire to get back at them by eating things they would not approve of.

Whatever it is, since the health clinic is the only thing at your disposal, don't let them doctors blow you off. Talk to them again, and if they again tell you it is about willpower, make them understand it is not. tell them you cannot stop and need to figure out why you are doing it. your bingeing is the symptom of a bigger problem, not the problem itself, and you need to get to the root of the bigger problem before you can get it under control.

I can understand just how you feel as I am currantly trying to deal with the same problem. I feel very bad about it, but my mum does absolutly nothing to help me as she thinks that my only problem is lack of self control.

About a year ago I lost 20 pounds but several months ago I started binge-eating and gained 8 pounds. I don't consider myself fat but I am very scared of gaining weight. Every morning I wake up and think to myself that today will be different, that I won't over-eat, but its always the same. I eat very little until about 5pm but after that I eat continuosly. I have no idea as to why I do it as I am never hungry when I binge.

I think LadyJo80 is right and you should get to the root of the problem before trying to deal with it. Also, you could maybe find someone you trust who you can talk to about this as it will be a lot easier for you to deal with it if you have some emotional support. Feel free to PM me if you want.

it is not about food, and not about stress. i don't know what kind of unqualified "Doctors" they have at this health clinic, but the classic signs of OCD are there. Yeah, I know I have OCD, but nobody has been concerned enough about my symptoms to give it a second thought. I repeat things I do a lot, until it "feels right," (like, I sit a cup down on a table until it looks exactly right, I open and close doors until I feel I've done it right. It's funny, because I saw something about that on Dr. Phil the other day, and I know I'm not NEARLY as bad as the people on there, but it's bothersome.

it is about CONTROL. You have a craving, you HAVE TO get rid of it. it is impulse control, and while willpower may help, you need to perform a bit of psyo-anlysis on yourself.

Why do you eat? it is clearly not actually about food. What emptions are going through your system as you look and eat the food. frustration in life? Satisfaction from eating? Trying to eat away the pain from something else? Once you get the root of your behavior, and find a more constructive way to deal with these emotions, you can wean yourself off of the binge eating.It's because I feel like I HAVE to. I really feel it might be a compulsion, and I don't know what it comes from. I think everything is okay otherwise. I'm bipolar and have anxiety disorders, but I'm on medication for those, and they seem to be working.

You say you have never told anyone, but don't the people in your house notice the food is missing? Perhaps there is a subconscious desire to "get caught", so you can begin discussing the problem. growing up, did your mother or anyone else put a lot of emphasis on weight and diet. Perhaps your binge eating stems from that, and a desire to get back at them by eating things they would not approve of.Well, it's not too noticeable because 4 people live here and there is usually plenty of food in the house. I have gotten the occasional "Whatcha eatin? A salad? Oh, good." from my dad, and I don't really know what he meant by that, but he probably thinks I need to be on a diet. The people in this house are some diet freaks, and there are so many things here that say Atkins, Jenny Craig and South Beach it's not even funny. I'm the only one who doesn't do all that.

But I was a chubby kid who couldn't run, and I look better now:) , but when I was 8 I went to a summer camp and all the kids were mean as shit and called me fat. Nobody ever did that before then, and I never was insecure until that year. I've been kinda insecure ever since, and my mom helped me go on a diet when I was 11, but she was trying to help me, she never made me feel bad about myself. She was overweight, got health problems, and died in 1995.

Whatever it is, since the health clinic is the only thing at your disposal, don't let them doctors blow you off. Talk to them again, and if they again tell you it is about willpower, make them understand it is not. tell them you cannot stop and need to figure out why you are doing it. your bingeing is the symptom of a bigger problem, not the problem itself, and you need to get to the root of the bigger problem before you can get it under control.When I told him I couldn't stop, he said I needed willpower, and no doctor could really help me with this. I need to wait until I can see a REAL doctor, but I hope I can find a way to help control this a little until then. I think he thinks I just want some good diet pills or something.
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You say that 'you feel like you have to' in response to LadyJo's comment. I actually agree with her. It may feel as though the reason you are displaying these symptoms is because you have to but it most likely stems from somewhere. Next time this happens to you, consider how you are feeling at the time - really pay attention and get in tune with your emotions. Try to see if you can notice a link or connection between your feelings/moods and the binge eating.

It does seem possibe that it stems from the insecurity you experienced after being bullied. However, the only person who could tell you that for sure would be a trained psychologist. I understand that you can't afford anything like this now, so you need to make do with the resources you have at your disposal. Go back to the doctors and MAKE them understand that it's not about lack of willpower, it's something different. You are the only one who knows what's going on with you personally so you need to make sure the doctors understand exactly how you are feeling. If they are any kind of doctor they will at least attempt to help you, and if they can't they should refer you to someone who can.

You said that your counsellor talked to your psychiatrist - have you spoken to him personally about this? I think you should if that is at all possible. At the moment it sounds like he is going on second hand information passed onto him by your counsellor. He needs to speak to you personally to make any kind of assessment.

Good luck and I hope your situation improves for you. :)

The people in this house are some diet freaks, and there are so many things here that say Atkins, Jenny Craig and South Beach it's not even funny. I'm the only one who doesn't do all that.

But I was a chubby kid who couldn't run, and I look better now , but when I was 8 I went to a summer camp and all the kids were mean as shit and called me fat. Nobody ever did that before then, and I never was insecure until that year. I've been kinda insecure ever since, and my mom helped me go on a diet when I was 11, but she was trying to help me, she never made me feel bad about myself. She was overweight, got health problems, and died in 1995.


Do you think this has anything to do with it? Don't look at the action, look at the reasons for the actions. the kids in summer camp made you feel bad, so now you feel you HAVE to do things until they are perfect.

I am asking you to look into yourself and see if you can find a reason for your behavior. When you eat, what goes thru your head? Do you think about those mean kids at camp? Do you think about your parents and all their weird diets?

I will admit there is some willpower involved, but it is not everything. Look for a reason for your behavior. What triggers the OCD in you? Do you binge every night, or maybe only after you have had a bad day? If you can find a reason for your behavior, then you can find a more constructive outlet for your feelings than eating.