Parents often have to encourage or even force an anorectic adolescent into treatment, which usually includes hospitalization and counseling. Many people eat in response to emotional rather than physical hunger. They may eat to attempt to fill this emptiness. These are foods that we associate with childhood or other times when we felt emotionally safe and fulfilled. They may be foods that were given by caretakers as rewards or pacifiers.
Weight management becomes difficult for the compulsive overeater.
This can cause the person to resort to drastic diets or purging methods to compensate for the excessive food intake. Thus, compulsive overeaters can be at risk for developing bulimia. Many compulsive overeaters suffer from a lack of self-esteem. Behavior modification and other counseling techniques can be used to overcome the food addiction and to deal with the underlying feelings which cause the overeating.