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" Growing numbers of unhappy Britons are turning to junk food for comfort, giving rise to obesity fears.  Around 74 per cent of adults admit to gorging on chocolate and crisps when they feel down, rather than confiding in friends or seeking medical help.  Research from the Priory Group, which specialises in treating eating disorders, found that &amp;#039;self-medicating&amp;#039; with calorific food had become part of the national psyche.  Consultant psychiatrist Dr Peter Rowan said: &amp;quot;These people are desperate to fill the void created by loneliness, depression and insecurity.  &amp;quot;You could describe this as &amp;#039;hungry for love&amp;#039;. Sadly this form of comfort-eating is bad for them, leading to a range of physical illnesses associated with obesity and with the development of eating disorders, which can be a severe form of mental illness.&amp;quot;  The survey of 1,000 British 15-to-65-years-olds showed that 15-to-24-year-olds have the worst relationship with food - 61 per cent comfort-eat with chocolate and 43 per cent with fast food.  Just under one third confessed to self-medicating with food when their relationships became rocky.  Dr Rowan said: &amp;quot;If current trends are continued, eating behaviour will become progressively more detached from food and health needs, and the number of young people with eating disorders will continue to rise.&amp;quot;  Almost 1.1 million Britons have been diagnosed with an eating disorder but the number of sufferers is thought to be much higher.  \u00A9 Adfero Ltd "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-living/news/a12540/eating-trends-give-rise-to-obesity-fears/>