Addictive overeating: lessons learned from medical students' perceptions of Overeaters Anonymous

Aim To explore medical students' perceptions of Overeaters Anonymous (OA). Method 72 fifth- year medical students' reports of their experiences of attending OA meetings were analysed using thematic analysis. Students were required to submit these reports in order to complete a compulsory component of the Addiction Medicine run in their medical training at the University of Otago, Christchurch during 2002-2007. Results Analysis of the students' reports highlights an emerging understanding of the concepts of addiction in general and addictive overeating in particular. This understanding is reflected in the students' acceptance of addictive overeating as a potential disorder and their increased empathy and confidence in working with patients with this disorder. Conclusions Improving treatment for people with obesity is a major contemporary health challenge. Addictive overeating could be a critical element in understanding the nature of obesity but has not been the subject of extensive research to date. Medical students in this study discovered that addiction to food is not just a theoretical construct but fits with the actual experience of people. The poignancy of these narratives illustrates how such information can promote greater understanding of medical and other life issues which may benefit their identification and treatment.