title: Night eating syndrome. Preliminary results.
abstract: Clinical aspects of the "night eating syndrome" (NES) are described. Recent studies, also referred to in the present report, have revealed certain triggering factors of this syndrome, but do not reveal the nature of the relationship between awakening and compulsory need for food. According to the psychodynamic interpretation, these subjects eat at night to replace dreaming, to which they offer strong resistance, whilst according to the psychobiological interpretation, motivational stimuli develop the irresistible and repeated desire for food. Within a post-rational cognitive theoretical model, the compulsion to food would be the mode through which subjects obtain a modified conscious state necessary to appease the suffering due to an experience of emptiness and incapacity. Psychological support associated with pharmacological treatment (benzodiazepine, gamma-hydroxybutyric acid) has been shown, in a personal series, to be effective both upon the sleep disorder and craving.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mazzetti di Pietralata
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Florentino
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guidi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leonardi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D003192:Compulsive Behavior / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D010076:Oxazepam / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011582:Psychological Theory; D011613:Psychotherapy; D020178:Sleep Disorders, Circadian Rhythm / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D012978:Sodium Oxybate / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D010076:Oxazepam; D012978:Sodium Oxybate