Binge Eating Disorder e regolazione affettiva: cibo, emozioni, relazioni

Abstract

- The work aims to draw a descriptive and explanatory picture of Binge Eating Disorder, basing on the key concept of affective regulation. It is proposed, as an explanation model of the disorder, the hypothesis of Taylor, Bagby and Parker (1997, 2000), who conceptualized Eating Disorders as self-regulation disorders, focusing on the construct of affect regulation. It refers to the acts that modulate emotions experienced and expressed (Gross and Munoz, 1995; Kopp, 1989; Schor, 1994). The reference to attachment theory, as privileged theoretical framework for understanding the construct of affect regulation, is introduced to discuss pathogenetic and clinical implications (Santona and Zavattini, 2009). The review of the empirical results of the studies that examined the relationship between Binge Eating Disorder and emotional dysregulation, shows how the characteristic of this disorder is a poor capacity to modulate dysphoric feelings and to differentiate emotions from bodily sensations. The desire to eat is experienced as a compulsive craving, that represents for the patient the only possible response to emotional dysregulation (Whiteside et al., 2007).Key-words: Binge Eating Disorder, food, emotions, affective regulation, bulimia, shape.Parole-chiave: Binge Eating Disorder, cibo, emozioni, regolazione affettiva, bulemia, vergogna.