research for school

This is for my abnormal psychology class.  The situation being that of a seven year old female, who is over weight.  The subject gets up in the middle of the night and goes thru the refrigerator and eats and eats.  The subject eats her breakfast and a lite lunch and dinner.  The mother pushes education and only allows them to watch a couple of hours of television every friday, they read or play most of the time.  The subject is made fun of by classmates and sister and brother.  She is also a slow learner as compared to other classmates.  The mother is divorced but is remarried.  I thought maybe a compulsive overeating disorder might be the problem, but now I'm thinking of possibly some form of depression or even Seperation anxiety.  The mother also is over weight, but that is irrelevant.  I would like to know of other areas to search in for a diagnosis, or if there could be other related problems?  Any help would be great.  Thank you.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

Dear Mr. Murdoch,

The symptoms you describe can result from a number of conditions. It's unlikely that this represents Separation Anxiety Disorder. A Mood Disorder, particularly Depressive D/O, is a distimct possibility, as is an Eating Disorder. The mother's condition may be significant, relative to the hereditary implications of such things as Mood Disorders and Eating Disorders. It's also important to consider Developmental Disorders, and the presence of any metabolic, endocrine or nutritional problems.