Running head: PROCESS ADDICTION EATING ADDICTION 1

Process Addiction: Eating Addiction

Abigail Floriano-Monarrez

Catawba College

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of Psychology 3501, Selected Topics in

Psychology, Psychology of Addictive Behaviors

3/4/21
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When the term ‘addiction’ is said, people usually turn to drugs belonging to that term,

when in actuality, it can be used for a variety of other topics, such as eating. When we want to

start healing from addiction there are those that abstain from the behavior/substance, but when it

comes to something that we need in order to live, like food, there is more meticulous work to be

done to help those going through an eating addiction. WebMD (2020) explains that science is

still working on understanding and finding treatments for food addiction since it involves the

people addicted to eating still having to partake in that behavior in order to survive. In this paper,

I will be going over what eating addiction is, particularly its symptoms, why it is considered an

addiction, and treatment plans that are currently available for those who are trying to find out

how to navigate the difficult nature of this addiction.

Food addiction has no proper definition at the moment due to there still being research on

the addiction and researchers not knowing how to properly define it. Hauck, Cook, and Ellrott

(2020) state that the concept of food addiction is referring to specific food-related behaviors

characterized by excessive and dysregulated consumption of high-energy food (Hauck et al.,

2020). There is criteria people can meet that would consider them having an addictive behavior

to food. Petry (2015) states that the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) has specific features that

are based on substance dependence disorder criteria listed in the DSM-IV-TR and other

assessment tools. The scale consists of 25 items, in a Likert-type scale, and the participants has

to meet three or more criteria and reports significant problems because of their eating habits

(Petry, 2015). There is discussion if food addiction resonates more with criteria used for

substance use disorders (SUD) or criteria used for gambling disorder (Meule & Gearhardt,

2014).
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Symptoms and/or criteria that resonate with food addiction can sometimes be linked

(with change of wording) with any other substance that people have become dependent on (i.e.,

alcohol, nicotine, sugar, etc.). Virtua (2020) lists off symptoms and/or signs that can be seen in

people who have food addiction such as, a loss of control overeating behaviors (i.e., wanting to

stop but cannot, eating to the point you are sick, feeling ashamed/guilty about your eating),

needing a large amount of food to feel satisfied, and there are also signs of withdrawal whenever

they stop eating a certain food such as, cravings, headaches, irritability, and restlessness (Virtua,

2020). Virtua (2020) also points out that a food addiction can also affect relationships and one’s

social life (Virtua, 2020). According to Meule and Gearhardt (2014), the most common food

addiction symptom is the persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control eating

(Meule & Gearhardt, 2014). Petry (2015) describes some more depressive symptomology such

as, increased negative affect, greater emotion dysregulation, and decreased self-esteem (Petry,

2015). Some of the criteria listed above, resonated very much with an addiction such as

gambling. Gambling makes you feel guilty for partaking in that behavior but still continuing it,

just like food addiction makes you feel. This can also be said for alcohol and nicotine.

Treatment for any other addiction, such as alcohol, can be found readily easy and there is

enough research that implicates that says that it helps individuals abstain from the

substance/behavior, since the addiction is not necessarily something that is needed to survive. A

food addiction is difficult to find concrete data on how to combat it and there is still ongoing

research as to how to help individuals with this addiction. Petry (2015) explains that currently,

there has not been any empirical studies that have shown the effectiveness of therapeutic

interventions for overeating based on an addiction model. She also mentions that there are some

clinicians using the same therapeutic modalities used to treat binge eating disorder (BED), which
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uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) as preeminent treatment, could be well-suited for

individuals with food addiction (Petry, 2015). Although there is overlap in both an eating

addiction and a binge eating disorder, which there is still debate if an eating addiction is just

another sub-category for an eating disorder, there still needs to be further research for

psychological treatment, since there could be a better addiction-based treatment for those with an

eating addiction.

Psychological treatment may not have enough research for treating an eating addiction,

but there is research for a pharmacological treatment approach. Petry (2015) explains that there

has been findings of some drugs that showed promising results for treatment of alcohol that has

also shown promising results for reducing binge eating. It did not significantly affect how much

food was being taken in but there was a notice of suppression of intake of palatable foods (i.e.,

processed foods containing lots of sugar, salt, and fat) (Petry, 2015). There is overlap with how

to treat food addiction just like alcohol addiction, just like how there was overlap in how to treat

food addiction like if it were BED with psychological treatment. More research needs to be done

in order to find the best pharmacological treatment for those with an eating disorder.

Considering both psychological and pharmacological, there are those who might want

one of the two treatment options. From reading journals, talking to medical professionals, and

general self-help tips online, all these sources point to that both need to be considered in order to

overcome the addiction. Yes, one may seem better but with the implementation of both options

can help with making the healing process a bit easier. Petry (2015) does explain that although

there are some options that have helped with similar issues presented in an eating disorder, the

logical next step is to research and find different treatment modalities to better the lives of those

affected by the disorder (Petry, 2015).

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Overall, food addiction is considered an addiction due to its nature of taking over one’s

life, a heavy dependency has been formed around food, the person affected knows that they have

a problem, but they continue to do the behavior, and there are withdrawal symptoms that tend to

show up whenever they stop eating a certain food (i.e., palatable food). Food addiction is still a

widely discussed topic, mostly debates as to how it should be categorized and if it is just a sub-

category of an eating disorder. With questions arising as to how it should be categorized, comes

the lack of research for the topic. There is no food addiction therapy and/or pharmacological

drug specifically combating food addiction, which most journal articles mention when trying to

accurately describe a food addiction. There still needs to be more research done on the subject to

better understand on how to properly treat those who have an eating addiction.
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References

Hauck, C., Cook, B., & Ellrott, T. (2020). Food addiction, eating addiction and eating disorders.

The proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 79(1), 103-112.

https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0029665119001162

Meule, A. & Gearhardt, A. N. (2014). Food addiction in the light of DSM-5. Nutrients, 6(9),

3653-3671. https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu6093653

Petry, N. M. (2015). Behavioral Addictions: DSM-5 and Beyond. Oxford University Press.

https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/med/9780199391547.001.0001

Virtua. (2020). What causes food addiction and what are the signs?

https://www.virtua.org/articles/what-causes-food-addiction-and-what-are-the-signs.

WebMD. (2020). Eating Disorders: Anorexia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder and Bulimia

Nervosa. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/eating-disorders/default.htm.