What Causes an Eating Disorder?

Eating disorders are complex conditions that arise from a combination of long-standing behavioral, biological, emotional, psychological, interpersonal, and social factors. There are some general issues that can contribute to the development of eating disorders. While eating disorders usually begin with preoccupation of food and weight, they are most often about much more than food itself. People with eating disorders often use food and the control of food in an attempt to compensate for feelings and emotions that may otherwise seem over-whelming.

Psychological Factors That Can Contribute to Eating Disorders:

–       Low Self-esteem
–       Feelings of inadequacy or lack of control in life
–       Depression, anxiety, anger, or loneliness

Interpersonal Factors That Can Contribute to Eating Disorders:

–       Troubled family and personal relationships
–       Difficulty expressing emotions and feelings
–       History of being teased or ridiculed based on size or weight
–       History of physical or sexual abuse

Social Factors That Can Contribute to Eating Disorders:

–       Cultural pressures that glorify “thinness” and place value on obtaining the “perfect body”
–       Narrow definitions of beauty that include only women and men of specific body weights and shapes
–       Cultural norms that value people on the basis of physical appearance and not inner qualities and strengths

Biological Factors That Can Contribute to Eating Disorders:

–       Scientists are still researching—in some individuals with eating disorders, certain chemicals in the brain that control hunger, appetite, and digestion have found to be imbalanced.
–       Eating Disorders often run in families. Current research indicates that there are significant genetic contributions to eating disorders.

Adopted from National Eating Disoders Association

www.nationaleatingdisorders.org

Cara Engle, LAPC