Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, stating that changes emerge in the brain's reward-punishment system in eating disorders, which are among behavioral addictions, said, “Similar to other addictions, eating behavior has the same effect. The individual views eating as a life purpose and constantly tries to satisfy this craving for pleasure.” Tarhan also noted that neglect, abuse, and attachment disorders experienced during childhood lie at the root of eating disorders.
Childhood lies in the background of eating disorders!
Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founder Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, made important evaluations on emotional hunger and eating disorders.
They eat to satisfy their emotional needs…
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that in emotional hunger, a type of eating disorder, individuals binge eat despite not being biologically hungry and their body not needing food. He stated that the reasons why a person eats in such situations must be identified. Emphasizing that treatment would not be possible without identifying the cause, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “Here, the person eats because they want to satisfy their emotional needs. Eating disorders are currently a serious consequence and nightmare of modernism.” Tarhan added that obesity has reached epidemic levels worldwide, and Turkey ranks third after the U.S. and Saudi Arabia in this regard. He further stated, “Obesity, a condition that emerges throughout life, is related to eating habits. Individuals with eating disorders start to view eating as a purpose in life.”
The feeling of pleasure is sought to be satisfied through eating behavior
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that the cell membrane in the brain of individuals with eating disorders is damaged, adding, “These individuals have placed eating at the center of their lives. Food is consumed to provide emotional satisfaction. Eating disorder is classified as a behavioral addiction within the system for psychiatric disorders. Here, eating behavior has the same effect as the changes addiction makes in the reward-punishment system. The person, without using any substance, sees eating as a life purpose and constantly tries to satisfy pleasure.”
The brain's satiety perception area is disrupted…
Tarhan noted that in bulimia nervosa, a serious eating disorder that can lead to potentially life-threatening risks, individuals have a fear of gaining weight, stating, “Even though the person weighs 29 kilos, they say, ‘I am 150 kilos.’ You cannot convince them that this is not true. The brain's satiety perception area is disrupted. In these individuals, the function of the hypothalamus, the area of the brain that enables understanding hunger and satiety, that says ‘You're full, that's enough,’ is impaired. The person eats like a neurotic, binges, and vomits. Obesity turns into a fear. The fear becomes irrational. These individuals are hospitalized like a psychosis, a kind of mental illness. If intervened in time, they recover.”
Attachment disorder and childhood traumas are in the background
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that bulimia nervosa is commonly observed in young girls, and when the background of this illness is investigated, depression and attachment disorder are often found. Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “If a child grew up in an environment where the topic of eating with their mother was excessively discussed and glorified during childhood, the child turns eating into a form of communication. They transform it into a behavior like, ‘If I eat, I am healthy or happy. If I don't eat, I cannot be happy.’ These types of eating disorders then start to track their life. Even though they feel full, they still eat. They feel a bit of regret. Then they try to expel it by vomiting. Their life revolves around this. When investigated, childhood traumas emerge. The child cannot compensate for these childhood traumas. A pathological behavior emerges.”
The person needs to re-learn how to eat!
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that when eating is chosen as a life purpose, similar to addictive behavior, a person's life priorities suddenly change, adding, “The biggest mistake these individuals make is there. Processes, tests, and treatments related to scientific awareness and conscious awareness are being attempted for the treatment of this behavior. In most cases of eating disorders, the person needs to be hospitalized for two to three months and undergo various treatments. It is necessary to take the person's brain electro and correct the brain chemistry. The person needs to re-learn how to eat. Families also have duties here, and studies are being carried out for them.”
Emotional neglect, emotional abuse, and faulty behaviors can lead to it
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan noted that childhood traumas such as emotional neglect and emotional abuse are mostly at the root of eating disorders, and said the following:
“As long as the family, mother, father, and relatives do not correct the pathology, the person sometimes eats reactively, solely for revenge. Sometimes faulty behaviors can also lead to eating disorders. For example, a mother walks around behind her child with a plate in her hand. We see here a person who grew up this way in childhood. The mother, with good intentions, forced her child to eat, walking behind them with a plate so they would be nourished. The child turned not eating into a form of communication. Unfortunately, this is very common in our culture. There is a misuse of affection here. Especially when we look at developed societies, we do not see such behavior. The child is not forced to eat. The mother gives the food, if they eat, they eat; if not, they stay hungry. A person with good physical health will not get sick if they don't eat when food is in front of them. In our culture, mothers fear their child will get sick. However, if a physically healthy child wants to eat, they will eat. The mother tries various ways to feed the child. The television is turned on. Other relatives try to distract the child. Such an environment also pleases the child, and the child prolongs the situation.”
Controlling the urge to eat is controlling psychological resources
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that while eating disorders are more common in women, men tend towards substance abuse, adding, “Although women are more prone to eating, aesthetic perceptions are more important for them in the brain; they attach more importance to their physical appearance. We make them stronger in terms of eating disorders. Being able to control the urge to eat is actually controlling one's own life, controlling psychological resources.”