A Substance Called Food: Long-Term Psychodynamic Group Treatment for Compulsive Overeating

Int J Group Psychother. 2015 Jul;65(3):386-409. doi: 10.1521/ijgp.2015.65.3.386.

Abstract

Obesity has proven difficult to treat. Many approaches neglect to address the deep-rooted underlying psychological issues. This paper describes a psychodynamically oriented approach to treating compulsive overeating as an addiction. Common to all addictions is a compulsion to consume a substance or engage in a behavior, a preoccupation with using behavior and rituals, and a lifestyle marked by an inability to manage the behavior and its harmful consequences. The approach represents a shift away from primarily medical models of intervention to integrated models focusing on the psychological underpinnings of obesity. Long-term psychodynamic group psychotherapy is recommended as a primary treatment.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Compulsive Behavior / therapy*
  • Humans
  • Hyperphagia / therapy*
  • Psychotherapy, Group / methods*
  • Psychotherapy, Psychodynamic / methods*