Children and teenagers face ever-increasing stress in their lives. Many turn to comfort eating to cope with this stress, to the point where it takes on the characteristics of an addiction. Such behavior likely contributes to the ongoing obesity epidemic and has been linked to highly-pleasurable foods, such as fast food or candy. This paper will examine the issue and look for possible ways of treatment.
Discussion
Comfort eating is not an uncommon response to stress but, in extreme cases, it can become a damaging behavior. Currently, food addiction is not recognized as a clinical disorder, but sufferers exhibit “central behaviors associated with substance addiction” (Tompkins, Laurent, & Brock, 2017, p. 462). Furthermore, such behaviors are commonly associated with a specific type of food, such as chocolate or chips. Therefore, overeating of highly-pleasurable foods can be viewed as an addiction.
Initially, overeating behavior tends to start with regular comfort eating: children turn to it when stressed, depressed, or anxious. However, it eventually becomes a habit: some eat mindlessly and only realize it afterward. Overeating and obesity can also become a vicious cycle: children would eat to cope with the stress of being overweight. Withdrawal-like symptoms are also common: a recent study found them in 26.9% participants (Tompkins, et. al., 2017). These findings suggest that this type of overeating is more than a regular bad habit and may require specialized aid to treat.
Conclusion
Overeating, particularly of highly-pleasurable, sugary and fatty foods, is a problem among children and teenagers. It leads to obesity, bulimic behavior, and social issues if an overweight child becomes the target of mockery and bullying. There are signs that simply providing information is insufficient to combat this addiction, and thus it may be require means to target it specifically. Such means may include psychological counseling, taxation, or restriction of access to problem foods.
References
Tompkins, R. A., Laurent, J., & Brock, D. W. (2017). Food addiction: A barrier for effective weight management for obese adolescents. Childhood Obesity, 13(6), 462-469.