LUDHIANA: As the students in the city are taking up competitive examinations, many of them are indulging in stress eating, which is a psychiatric disorder.
Take Shivam Gupta (name changed) of Model Town for instance. The prospect of having to appear for the civil services exam got him so stressed out that his parents had to take him to psychiatrist, where they said he had been overeating and sleeping too much. The psychiatrist diagnosed stress eating and gave him advice on coping. For experts, such cases around exam time are commonplace.
Dr Ranjive Mahajan, head of the department of psychiatry at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), said, "I get five to six cases of stress eating in a week when children prepare for competitive examinations. Usually, the number of such cases in other months is less. Symptoms include, weight gain due to overeating, sleeping beyond a limit, lethargy, low self esteem and depression. Girls are more prone to stress eating as compared to boys due to unknown reasons. Roughly about 30% of students fall prey to stress eating".
Experts advise parents to convert stress eating to healthy eating if the child has to take recourse to eating at all. "Instead of having junk food, parents can ensure their child has vegetables and fruits. They can also engage their child in exercise, listening to music and even meditation", said Dr Anshu Gupta, visiting consultant at SPS Apollo Hospital.
But then, it is not just students who try to find comfort in food when they are at the end of the tether. "Stress eating is not only confined to students during examinations but is found in middle aged professionals also. However, the number of students taking to it seems to be higher," the doctor said.
Experts say appetite and the need for sleep generally decrease when people are in depression, but stress eating is also a typical form of depression. They also recommend anti-depressants for people prescribed by psychiatrists to keep the affected person active and stabilize his appetite.
Dr Sandeep Goel, assistant professor of psychiatry at Christian Medical College and Hospital(CMCH), said, "Although we do prescribe antidepressants for such cases, we also counsel patients, using cognitive behaviour therapy. We advise them to exercise, do yoga and meditate."
Take Shivam Gupta (name changed) of Model Town for instance. The prospect of having to appear for the civil services exam got him so stressed out that his parents had to take him to psychiatrist, where they said he had been overeating and sleeping too much. The psychiatrist diagnosed stress eating and gave him advice on coping. For experts, such cases around exam time are commonplace.
Dr Ranjive Mahajan, head of the department of psychiatry at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), said, "I get five to six cases of stress eating in a week when children prepare for competitive examinations. Usually, the number of such cases in other months is less. Symptoms include, weight gain due to overeating, sleeping beyond a limit, lethargy, low self esteem and depression. Girls are more prone to stress eating as compared to boys due to unknown reasons. Roughly about 30% of students fall prey to stress eating".
Experts advise parents to convert stress eating to healthy eating if the child has to take recourse to eating at all. "Instead of having junk food, parents can ensure their child has vegetables and fruits. They can also engage their child in exercise, listening to music and even meditation", said Dr Anshu Gupta, visiting consultant at SPS Apollo Hospital.
But then, it is not just students who try to find comfort in food when they are at the end of the tether. "Stress eating is not only confined to students during examinations but is found in middle aged professionals also. However, the number of students taking to it seems to be higher," the doctor said.
Experts say appetite and the need for sleep generally decrease when people are in depression, but stress eating is also a typical form of depression. They also recommend anti-depressants for people prescribed by psychiatrists to keep the affected person active and stabilize his appetite.
Dr Sandeep Goel, assistant professor of psychiatry at Christian Medical College and Hospital(CMCH), said, "Although we do prescribe antidepressants for such cases, we also counsel patients, using cognitive behaviour therapy. We advise them to exercise, do yoga and meditate."