Hi, this is a great question.

A lot of medications cause weight gain. Some even increase our appetite; some again for specific foods. Seroquel is one such example that causes a craving for carbs. Depression will exacerbate this problem.

I have had some weight gain owing to my medication (yep seroquel appears to be the guilty party). I have been prescribed Metformin to try to counteract this. My biggest problem however is that I eat out of boredom. Some may eat when they are anxious; food is often the coping mechanism turned to.

Would you say this relationship you have with food is a 'control mechanism'? Eating disorders are often an expression of this. It's long the lines of I can't control the things going on in my life but eating is something that I can do so. Your description doesn't seem to fit this.

You are definitely not alone. This is common across the Mood Disorder spectrum.