I have a person who has to be limited on sweets due to another disease. This person will sneek up at night and even in the evenings and steal sweets from the kitchen. Sometimes they sit and eat til they vomit. Do you know a name for this type of disorder?

Hi Gayla:

It sounds as though you have your hands full coping with a difficult situation at home.

The person you describe,is not complying with their diet restrictions, and is sneaking sweets and consuming them to the point of actually throwing up.

There could be a number of factors contributing to the problem. While binging on sweets could be caused by an eating disorder, there may be medical issues affecting the person which result in this behavior.

For example, certain diseases of the pituitary gland or hypothalamus can cause a person to overeat and not recognize when they feel full.

Certain medications may affect the urge to eat, causing a person to consume an inappropriate quantity of food.

Some people suffer from compulsive overeating disorder in which they lose control over the amount of food they are eating. This addictive eating disorder is characterized by an obsession with food, eating in secret, and feelings of guilt and depression.

Your situation is especially difficult, as the person is placing their health at serious risk, by ignoring their dietary restriction on sweets.

In order to properly assess what is going on, it may be helpful to have the person see their family physician. That way, you can rule out any medical complications and get a diagnosis and support around their eating behavior.

Don't forget to take care of yourself during this stressful time.

Amy

Thanks. I have already scheduled an MD appt and look forward to hearing what the MD has to say about it.