Browsing by Author "Tavares, Hermano"
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Item Moving beyond the “eating addiction” versus “food addiction” debate: Comment on Schulte et al. (2017)(Elsevier, 2018) Lacroix, Emilie; Tavares, Hermano; von Ranson, Kristin M.In a recent commentary, Schulte et al. (2017) argued that addictive-like eating should be conceptualized as a substance use disorder rather than a behavioural addiction, and noted that many parallels that Hebebrand et al. (2014) drew between addictive-like eating and behavioural addictions apply likewise to substance use disorders. However, we argue that many of the arguments advanced by Schulte et al. (2017) in support of a substance-based food addiction model, including the important role played by ingested substances, are nonspecific. That is, these arguments apply equally well to behavioural addictions and other mental disorders, notably eating disorders, which raises the question of whether the phenomenon of addictive-like eating is encompassed by existing eating disorder diagnoses. Similarities between addictive-like eating and substance use, no matter how compelling, do not ensure the validity or clinical utility of a substance-based food addiction model and should not drive the conceptualization of addictive-like eating. The present commentary discusses problems with Schulte et al.’s (2017) arguments for substance-based food addiction, and draws attention to alternative conceptualizations of addictive-like eating which risk being overlooked when this conversation is framed as a dichotomous debate between the food and eating addiction models.Item The Clinical Utility of Food Addiction: Characteristics and Psychosocial Impairments in a Treatment-Seeking Sample(MDPI, 2020) Oliveira, Edgar; Kim, Hyoun S.; Lacroix, Emilie; de Fátima Vasques, Mária; Ruiz Durante, Cristiane; Pereira, Daniela; Rico Cabral, Janice; Sanches Bernstein, Paula; Garcia, Ximena; Ritchie, Emma V.; Tavares, HermanoLittle is known about the characteristics of individuals seeking treatment for food addiction (FA), and the clinical utility of FA has yet to be established. To address these gaps, we examined (i) the demographic, eating pathology, and psychiatric conditions associated with FA and (ii) whether FA is associated with psychosocial impairments when accounting for eating-related and other psychopathology. Forty-six patients seeking treatment for FA completed self-report questionnaires and semi-structured clinical interviews. The majority of the sample were women and self-identified as White, with a mean age of 43 years. Most participants (83.3%) presented with a comorbid psychiatric condition, most commonly anxiety and mood disorders, with a mean of 2.31 comorbid conditions. FA was associated with binge eating severity and anxiety symptoms, as well as psychological, physical, and social impairment. In regression analyses controlling for binge eating severity, food cravings, depression, and anxiety, FA remained a significant predictor only of social impairment. Taken together, the results suggest that individuals seeking treatment for FA are likely to present with significant comorbid conditions, in particular anxiety disorders. The results of the present research provide evidence for the clinical utility of FA, particularly in explaining social impairment.Item The need to consume: Hoarding as a shared psychological feature of compulsive buying and binge eating(Elsevier, 2018) de Mattos, Cristiana Nicoli; Kim, Hyoun S.; Lacroix, Emilie; Requião, Marinalva; Zambrano Filomensky, Tatiana; Hodgins, David C.; Tavares, HermanoIntroduction Compulsive buying and binge eating are two frequently co-occurring psychiatric conditions. Hoarding, which is the psychological need to excessively gather and store items, is frequently associated with both compulsive buying severity and binge eating severity. In the present study, we explored whether different dimensions of hoarding are a shared feature of compulsive buying and binge eating. Method Participants consisted of 434 people seeking treatment for compulsive buying disorder. Registered psychiatrists confirmed the diagnosis of compulsive buying through semi-structured clinical interviews. Participants also completed measures to assess compulsive buying severity, binge eating severity, and dimensions of hoarding (acquisition, difficulty discarding, and clutter). Two-hundred and seven participants completed all three measures. Results Significant correlations were found between compulsive buying severity and the acquisition dimension of hoarding. Binge eating severity was significantly correlated with all three dimensions of hoarding. Hierarchical regression analysis found that compulsive buying severity was a significant predictor of binge eating severity. However, compulsive buying severity no longer predicted binge eating severity when the dimensions of hoarding were included simultaneously in the model. Clutter was the only subscale of hoarding to predict binge eating severity in step two of the regression analysis. Conclusion Our results suggest that the psychological need to excessively gather and store items may constitute a shared process that is important in understanding behaviors characterized by excessive consumption such as compulsive buying and binge eating.Item “There is no way to avoid the first bite”: A qualitative investigation of addictive-like eating in treatment-seeking Brazilian women and men(Elsevier, 2019-02) Emilie Lacroix, Emilie; Edgar Oliveira, Edgar; Saldanha de Castro, Juliana; Cabral, Janice Rico; Tavares, Hermano; von Ranson, Kristin M.There has been polarizing debate on addictive-like eating in recent years. To move toward valid definition and measurement of this construct, qualitative research describing individuals' experiences is needed. The present study explored how Brazilian men and women define and experience addictive-like eating. Interviews were conducted with 7 men and 8 women (Mage = 46.6 years, MBMI = 35.43 kg/m2) seeking treatment for addictive-like eating. Thematic analysis of interviews identified three saturated, overarching themes describing participants’ conceptualizations of the (1) characteristics, (2) causal factors, and (3) consequences of addictive-like eating. Lack of control was a key characteristic of addictive-like eating described by all participants. A causal factor which most participants described was emotional eating. Consequences included emotional, interpersonal, occupational, and health-related impairments which appeared primarily related to weight gain, rather than to the pattern of addictive-like eating itself. These results are largely consistent with those of previous qualitative studies. Importantly, the symptoms described by our participants and in previous qualitative studies may be inadequately captured by existing self-report questionnaires designed to assess addictive-like eating. To address this potential limitation, we provide recommendations for assessing the full range of possible addictive-like eating symptoms.Item Treatment of food addiction: preliminary results(Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, 2020) de Oliveira, Edgar Luis Lima; Lacroix, Emilie; Stravogiannis, Andrea Lorena Costa; de Fátima Vasques, Maria; Durante, Cristiane Ruiz; Duran, Érica Panzani; Pereira, Daniela; Cabral, Janice Rico; Tavares, HermanoThere has been an increase in the number of publications using the term food addiction (FA), with many animal and humans neuroimaging studies demonstrating similarities between food and drugs of abuse1,2. FA is most often assessed with the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), a questionnaire which directly applies DSM-IV-TR substance dependence criteria to food and eating2. Although FA is not an official diagnosis, YFAS scores are associated with eating disorders, depression, emotion dysregulation and lower self-esteem3, suggesting a need to target these symptoms in treatment.