Symptoms & Causes For Eating Disorders

Mental health conditions in the category of eating disorders impact millions of people worldwide. Eating disorders are characterized by continuous disruptions to eating behaviors and physical health, but they typically cause and are caused by various psychological factors as well.

Examining the psychological causes for eating disorders and evidence-based interventions may help encourage affected individuals to seek help and may also aid in the eating disorder recovery process. Below, we’ll explore multiple mental factors associated with these eating disorders and offer strategies for their management.

Understanding the complexity of eating disorders

Eating disorders are characterized by irregular eating behaviors and an intense focus on food, weight, and/or body shape. Eating disorders can appear in different forms, each accompanied by unique symptoms.

Defining eating disorders

While eating disorders commonly affect teenagers and young adults, they can manifest in anyone regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status. Some common eating disorders include the following:

• Anorexia nervosa involves severe food intake restriction, intense fear of gaining weight, and distorted body image.
• Bulimia nervosa involves periodic binge eating episodes that are followed by compensatory measures like self-induced vomiting and/or excessive exercise.
• Binge eating disorder involves recurring bouts of eating large volumes of food in a brief period, usually associated with feelings like shame and a sense of being out of control.
• Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is a lesser-known eating disorder. Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder involves having limited or highly selective eating patterns, resulting in inadequate nutrition.

Research indicates that approximately 9% of the global population may experience an eating disorder at some point in their lives. The prevalence of eating disorders has been increasing in recent years, highlighting the need for greater awareness and increased availability of treatment.

If you’re experiencing signs of an eating disorder, it’s generally recommended that you meet with a mental health care provider as soon as possible. Early intervention has been linked to improved outcomes for individuals with eating disorders. 

The connection between mental health and EDs

Eating disorders often stem from and are sustained by underlying mental health challenges. Understanding and addressing these psychological factors is usually a key component of eating disorder treatment.

Causes for eating disorders

Perfectionism is another trait commonly associated with eating disorders. It may manifest as rigid eating rules, unrealistic body ideals, and fear of failure. This perfectionist mindset can contribute to the development and persistence of disordered eating patterns.

The impact of EDs on mental health

Psychological wellness and eating habits are often interconnected. Mental health can affect food choices, and food choices can impact brain function and mood.

Food intake & emotional well-being

Food intake plays a role in regulating mood and emotions. Nutritional deficiencies or imbalances may contribute to symptoms of depression, anxiety, and irritability. Conversely, balanced eating patterns that meet nutritional needs can support overall mental health and emotional stability.

The act of eating itself can also have psychological implications. For some, eating serves as a comfort source or a strategy to mitigate stress. Such emotional relationships with eating may lead to disordered eating habits, like binge eating or food restriction for emotional regulation.

Limiting food intake to achieve weight loss can also influence mental well-being. Intense calorie reduction might result in changes in mood, increased irritability, and challenges with focus. Over time, such a restrictive method of eating could lead to disordered eating behaviors and affect overall psychological health.

Bulimia nervosa, vomiting, & associated challenges

Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder that presents specific psychological challenges due to its cyclical nature. The regular binging-purging cycle can lead to physical and emotional consequences.

Bulimia nervosa is frequently characterized by strong emotional experiences that lead to binge eating. During these episodes, individuals might rapidly consume excessive amounts of food and feel a loss of control. To counteract potential weight gain, they may resort to compensatory behaviors, such as inducing vomiting or taking laxatives.

This cycle of binging and purging can be driven by various psychological factors. Some individuals may use binge eating as a way to manage emotions or stress. The act of purging may then serve as a means of alleviating feelings associated with overeating.

Feelings of shame often play a role in perpetuating the binge-purge eating disorder cycle too. Many with bulimia nervosa face intense emotions after a binge, which can drive compensatory behaviors. This eating disorder cycle may become self-sustaining, reinforcing unfavorable self-perceptions and continuing the disordered eating pattern.

The connection between weight loss, dieting, and eating disorders

Eating disorders manifest in various forms, with some unrelated to an attempt to lose weight. Nevertheless, diet regimens and disordered eating habits commonly intersect. Such intersections may lead to mental distress and potentially contribute to the causes of eating disorders.

Dieting for weight loss & disordered eating

Although not everyone who diets will develop an eating disorder, adopting restrictive dieting practices can increase the chances of disordered eating behaviors. A continuous focus on eating habits and body weight might lead to an obsession with eating and body image, and developing an eating disorder may result in some cases.

Dieting often involves restricting certain foods or food groups, which can create a sense of deprivation. This deprivation may lead to intense cravings for food and, in some cases, binge-eating episodes. The cycle of restriction and overeating can contribute to feelings of guilt, potentially perpetuating disordered eating patterns.

Frequent weight loss attempts can also have mental effects, as the pressure to maintain a certain body shape might amplify dissatisfaction with one's appearance and lead to negative self-perception. Associating weight closely with self-worth might contribute to the cause of eating disorders.

Addressing symptoms through therapy

Talk therapy allows providers to address the psychological components for eating disorders in their clients. In therapy, individuals can explore underlying factors for their disordered eating patterns and work towards developing healthier coping mechanisms and eating habits.

CBT for eating disorder symptoms 

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based talk therapy approach commonly used for the treatment of eating disorders. CBT focuses on helping the individual learn to identify and modify distorted thought patterns and eating behaviors.

In the context of eating disorders, CBT can help individuals recognize distorted thoughts about food, weight, and body image. By challenging these thoughts and developing alternative perspectives, individuals may begin to change their relationship with eating and their bodies.

CBT also addresses the behavioral causes for eating disorders by helping individuals develop healthier eating patterns and coping strategies. This process may look different for each individual, but it might involve things like gradually introducing feared foods, establishing regular eating habits, and learning alternative ways to manage emotions that don’t involve food and eating.

Research suggests that CBT can be effective in reducing symptoms of various eating disorders, including bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. The techniques taught in CBT may also help for preventing relapse and promoting a lasting eating disorder recovery.

The role of family and social support in recovery

Support from family and friends is often crucial for recovery from a mental illness, including for an eating disorder. This type of support can reinforce a sense of belonging and assist an individual in handling the emotional hurdles often associated with disordered eating.

Family dynamics & eating disorders

Family dynamics can influence both the development and maintenance for eating disorders. Factors such as family communication patterns, attitudes towards eating and body image, and overall family functioning can impact an individual's relationship with food and their body.

In some cases, family members may inadvertently reinforce disordered eating behaviors through comments about weight or appearance. Conversely, a supportive family environment can provide a foundation for eating disorder recovery.

In addition, family-based treatment approaches such as the Maudsley approach for adolescents with anorexia nervosa have been suggested to be effective in treating eating disorders for young people. These approaches involve the family as active participants for the eating disorder recovery process.

Long-term strategies for maintaining recovery

Recovery from eating disorders is a continuous journey, extending beyond the initial treatment period. While this path is unique for each individual, several general strategies can be beneficial in sustaining long-term eating disorder recovery.

Building resilience

Building resilience can be a crucial component for long-term recovery from eating disorders. Resilience involves developing healthy coping strategies that can be used for addressing stress and difficult emotions without the need to engage in disordered eating patterns. Mindfulness, effective stress management, and regular self-care activities can help foster resilience.

Engaging in therapy

Working with a therapist for the long term is often an integral part of recovering from an eating disorder and preventing relapse. However, consistently engaging in long-term in-person treatment can be difficult for both financial and logistical reasons. Regularly commuting to in-person appointments can be difficult if a person has a busy schedule, and the cost of in-person sessions can be prohibitive.

That’s why online therapy has been proposed as an alternative to in-person eating disorder treatment in many cases. With a platform like BetterHelp, you can get matched with a licensed therapist and meet with them remotely via phone, video call, and/or in-app messaging. The cost of online sessions is often less than the cost of traditional in-office sessions without insurance. Research also suggests that online therapy can be as effective as in-person therapy in many cases for addressing a variety of psychiatric disorders.