The treatment of night eating: the patient's perspective

Night eating (NE) is recognizable and treatable. The purpose of this study was to assess patients' satisfaction with their doctors' treatment of NE and to compare it to that of treatment of a control condition, 'headache'. An Internet-based questionnaire assessed patients' (n = 103) perceptions of their doctors' knowledge and treatment of NE versus headache, levels of treatment satisfaction and demographic and descriptive aspects of their NE. Most patients (61%) were 'not at all satisfied' with their doctors' treatment of NE. Patients reported low recognition and high levels of dismissal of NE by their doctors. Of patients who had been treated for both NE and headache by the same doctor, 29% were 'not at all satisfied' with their treatment of headache compared to 76% 'not at all satisfied' with their treatment of NE (p = 0.02). In conclusion, most patients reported that their doctors did not identify or treat NE, which led to dissatisfaction with their care.