Common Causes Of Eating Disorders
Almost 30 million Americans may develop an eating disorder at some point in their lives. Eating disorders can develop due to a variety of causes, including genetics, chemical imbalances, a person’s home environment, influences from the media, and pre-existing mental health conditions. It can be crucial to seek help if you or a loved one are living with symptoms of an eating disorder. A convenient way to get professional help may be through an online therapy platform.
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You can overcome an eating disorder
Work with a licensed therapist online
Risk factors for eating disorders
In general, risk factors refer to conditions that can make it more likely to develop a health condition or mental disorder. However, risk factors do not usually guarantee that a person will develop a condition.
Risk factors for eating disorders can include the following:
Having a close relative with an eating disorder or other mental health concerns
Having a history of dieting, and dissatisfaction with body image
Living with another diagnosed mental illness
Having type 1 diabetes
There may not usually be a single cause of an eating disorder, but instead, multiple factors may contribute to the development of an eating disorder. While there may not be a single cause of developing an eating disorder, the type of disorder may be a result of an individual’s relationship with food. The different types of eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder.
Genetics
A growing body of research generally suggests that eating disorders may have a genetic component. Because eating disorders can also be socially influenced, it was once thought that they were learned behaviors, which could explain why they seem to run in families. More recent research has found that genes are likely to play a role, though exactly which genes are involved has yet to be determined.
Home environment
Family pressures may be an additional cause of eating disorders, especially in young people who may use not eating to exercise power that they may not feel they have in other aspects of their lives.
Some people with eating disorders may have used food as a way of coping with stress or tragedy. This can be another way of expressing power in seemingly powerless situations, but it can also be because of the potential link between eating disorders and mental health disorders, like anxiety and depression.
Chemical imbalance
Some eating disorders may also be caused by imbalances of chemicals or chemical receptors in the brain. Specific examples of chemical messengers in the brain that can become imbalanced in eating disorders may include cortisol, which is normally involved in the stress response, and dopamine and tryptophan, which can help us relax.
Eating disorders can worsen these imbalances over time. In general, fat is needed to produce some chemical messengers, as well as to help the body create or process others. When dietary fat drops because an individual is not eating enough or digesting food properly, and body fat drops because the body is burning it for fuel in the absence of dietary sources of energy, the body may have trouble sending and receiving chemical signals.
In some cases, however, doctors aren't sure whether these imbalances exist because of an eating disorder, whether the eating disorder exists because of an imbalance, or some combination of the two. Regardless of which it is, restoring the balance of these chemicals through medication is often part of treating an eating disorder, at least in the short term, until the chemicals are in proper balance again. Treatment will also likely include talk therapy to address the social and emotional aspects of the condition. Always speak to a doctor before starting or stopping any form of medication.
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Personality
Eating disorders may stem from certain character attributes that many people have, like perfectionism, sensitivity to reward systems, and a strong appreciation for rules. These attributes may build a person's personality, but they can also contribute to the development or justification of an eating disorder. It can also be possible to develop an eating disorder while trying to follow a strict diet.
Social pressures from the media
Eating disorders also tend to have a social component that can be determined by how society views body weight. This may also be why women tend to be more likely to develop eating disorders than men. Women are often pressured by society to be thin, which can lead to eating disorders, while men are frequently pressured by society to be muscular, which may lead to steroid use and other concerns, although men can also develop eating disorders.
This kind of pressure usually comes from the media, especially television, films, and advertisements. Television and film tend to make fit actors and actresses the heroes of a story, while heavier characters can be relegated to providing comedic relief, playing low-level villains, or may not be represented at all. Some films and television programs also contribute to the social power of eating disorders by glamorizing them or making them seem like a regular part of the teenage experience.
Advertising can be even worse, as fashion models can be underweight, sometimes dangerously so. Images of women in advertisements and magazines are also often edited to make them appear thinner. This can mean that even people of a healthy weight may view themselves as not living up to imaginary or impossible expectations.
Social pressures from friends and family
Social pressures can also come from friends and family. Especially during the teenage years, pressure from peers to look or act a certain way can be intense. This can indirectly add to the likelihood of the development of eating disorders in adolescence. Some teens also learn about how to foster an eating disorder from friends, as well as how to hide one.
Not only teenagers may develop eating disorders, however. Many of the social pressures that can lead to teenagers developing eating disorders can also impact adults.
Eating disorders may not only be partly caused but also encouraged by societal pressures, even well-meaning ones. Eating disorders can lead to weight loss. When this weight loss is praised, it can be seen by the individual as an encouragement to continue their unhealthy method of losing weight.
Seeking help
Eating disorders can lead to serious physical and mental health concerns, and it can be crucial to reach out for professional help if you have an unhealthy relationship with food, exercise, and body image. Many communities also have support groups where people with eating disorders can learn from one another. Your doctor may be able to provide additional information about community resources near you.
Therapy can be a crucial part of eating disorder treatment, but it can be difficult to discuss such sensitive topics with a therapist face-to-face. If you feel uncomfortable with traditional in-office therapy, you might consider trying online therapy instead.
Getty/Vadym Pastukh
You can overcome an eating disorder
Work with a licensed therapist online
Benefits of online therapy
With online therapy, the sense of distance involved may help you feel more at ease opening up about your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. You can also choose between video chat, phone call, and online chat for further customization and convenience.
Effectiveness of online therapy
A 2021 study investigated the efficacy of online cognitive behavioral therapy for the treatment of eating disorders. It found that “treatment effects were sustained during follow-up, with generally large effect sizes for the reduction of ED psychopathology and body dissatisfaction, and small to moderate effect sizes for physical and mental health, self-esteem, social functioning, and quality of life.”
Takeaway
What are the three factors that cause eating disorders?
Although research into the etiology of eating disorders is ongoing, there are several associated risk factors:
Biological Factors
Recent studies published by the Anorexia Nervosa Genetics Initiative (ANGI) suggest that genetics may play a larger role in developing an eating disorder than previously thought. An individual’s neurophysiology, age, and gender are also thought to contribute to the causality of eating disorders.
Psychological Factors
Some mental health issues appear to have a bi-directional association with eating disorders, such as anxiety disorders, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorders.
Research points to a link between certain personality traits and eating disorders. People with an eating disorder are more likely to be highly perfectionistic. They may also exhibit impulsivity, reward dependence, neuroticism, and sensation seeking behavior.
Environmental Factors
Childhood experiences and societal influences are among the most commonly referenced environmental factors contributing to eating disorders. Studies indicate that individuals with a dysfunctional family history and/or one or more direct relatives with an eating disorder are more likely to develop one themselves.
While it’s unclear whether social influences alone can cause an eating disorder, there is a direct relationship between them. According to The National Eating Disorders Association, roughly 65% of individuals with an eating disorder cite bullying as a contributing factor.
Peer pressure and a fear of weight gain due to the unrealistic beauty standards of body shape in popular culture also contribute to lowered self-esteem and vulnerability to eating disorders.
Who is most likely to have an eating disorder?
While young adult and teenaged females are most often diagnosed with eating disorders, the statistics for who is most likely to have one are ever-changing. Anyone can have an eating disorder regardless of age, race, gender, sexual identification, and culture.
What are the two leading causes of anorexia?
Current research indicates that genetic and psychological factors are the primary causes of anorexia nervosa right now.
What is an eating disorder best described as?
An eating disorder is a severe condition characterized by persistent patterns of harmful eating habits and behaviors that negatively affect an individual’s mental and physical health. Each type of eating disorder has its own characteristics, but they are all potentially life-threatening.
Common eating disorders include:
- Anorexia Nervosa (AN)— Characterized by extreme food restriction due to an intense fear of gaining weight and distorted perception of one’s body weight. Anorexia typically results in dangerously low body weight and severe physical symptoms.
- Bulimia Nervosa (BN)—Individuals with BN often engage in binge eating followed by self-induced vomiting. Like people with AN, individuals with bulimia are obsessively concerned with body weight and may undergo strict dieting and excessive exercise practices to lose weight.
- Binge Eating Disorder (BED)—BED causes chronic, compulsive bouts of bingeing. Individuals with BED may feel unable to stop or restrain from eating when they aren’t hungry. It is different from Bulimia in that people with BED typically don’t engage in purging behaviors.
- Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake (ARFID)—Characterized by avoidance and aversion to food unrelated to an unhealthy body image. Individuals with ARFID may have an aversion to certain sensory characteristics of food or simply have a lack of interest in food and eating. People with restrictive food intake disorder avoid food to the extent that they fail to meet the body’s nutritional needs.
What is the function of an eating disorder?
Eating disorders can serve several adaptive functions beyond weight loss. Restrictive eating behaviors may provide an individual with a sense of “control” over their life. It may be a way to satisfy emotional needs or help people cope with difficult mental health issues like anxiety or depression. Eating disorders may serve to control relationships or one’s self-concept, or even serve as a way to cope with other mental health issues like social anxiety disorder.
Which eating disorder has the highest mortality?
Anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of not only any eating disorder, but of any other psychiatric condition. Organ failure, pulmonary complications, and disease to bodily systems are all common causes of death associated with anorexia, but suicide is cited as the leading cause of death among women with anorexia.
If you or a loved one are experiencing suicidal thoughts, reach out for help immediately. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 988, and is available 24/7.
Who has died from an eating disorder?
There have been many eating disorder-related deaths of individuals in the public eye within the last two decades. Some examples include:
Karla Alvarez—Actress
Karen Carpenter—Musician
Ana Carolina Reston—Model
Isabella Caro—Model
Margaux Hemmingway—Model/Actress
At what stage of life are eating disorders most likely to develop?
Though they may develop at any age, most eating disorders typically emerge in adolescence and young adulthood.
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