One of the stereotypical images of a sad person, whether they’ve just been dumped or they’ve had a tough day, is that of someone simultaneously reaching for tissues and a giant carton of Haagen Daz. And it appears to be more truth than fiction. A new study appearing in the latest issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health found that not only are teenage girls who are feeling depressed twice as likely to start binge eating when compared with other girls, but the study also found that girls who regularly binge eat are at double the normal risk of depression.
“Binge eating prevention initiatives should consider the role of depressive symptoms … and incorporate suggestions for dealing with negative emotions,” write the authors.
The study uses surveys conducted as part of the nationwide Growing Up Today Study. The researchers analyzed data from nearly 5,000 girls aged 12 to 18 who answered questions in 1999, as well as follow-up surveys in 2001 and 2003:
“Teens and young women who reported in the first survey that they always or usually felt ‘down in the dumps’ or ‘depressed’ were about twice as likely as others were to start overeating or binge eating during the following two years.”
“Binge eaters or overeaters can be very secretive, so parents may be unaware that there’s a problem. That’s a really important message for clinicians,” said study author Alison Field. “If they have patients who are depressed, they need to ask about disordered eating patterns and vice versa.”
Source: Health Behavior News Service
Heather Rudow is a staff writer for Counseling Today. Email her at hrudow@counseling.org.