Eating Disorders - Causes

Highlights	Complications of Anorexia	Treatment for Anorexia
Introduction	Symptoms	Therapy
Risk Factors	Diagnosis	Resources
Causes	Treatment	References
Complications of Bulimia	Treatment for Bulimia

Causes

There is no single cause for eating disorders. Although concerns about weight and body shapeplay a role inall eating disorders, the actual cause of these disorders appear to result from many factors, including cultural and family pressures and emotional and personality disorders. Genetics and biologic factors may also play a role.

Negative Family Influences

Negative influences within the family play a major role in triggering and perpetuating eating disorders. Some studies have produced the following observations and theories regarding family influence.

Insecure Infancy. Some experts theorize that parents who fail to provide a safe and secure foundation in infancy may foster eating disorders. In such cases, children experience so-called insecure attachments. They are more likely to have greater weight concerns and lower self-esteem than are those with secure attachments.
Parental Behaviors. Poor parenting by both mothers and fathers have been implicated in eating disorders. One study found that 40% of 9- to 10-year-old girls try to lose weight generally with the urging of their mothers. Some studies have found that mothers of anorexics tend to be over-involved in their child's life, while mothers of people with bulimia are critical and detached. On the other hand, a 2002 study reported that the father's behavior also plays a very important role in a child's eating disorder. Some research, for example, strongly implicates overly critical fathers, brothers, or both in the development of anorexia in both girls and boys.
Family Meals. How often a family eats together may influence whether a child develops an eating disorder. A study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that young girls who ate 3 to4 meals per week with their families were about half as likely to engage in extreme weight control behaviors as girls who family meals less often.
Family History of Addictions or Emotional Disorders. Studies report that people with either eating disorder are more likely to have parents with alcoholism or substance abuse than are those in the general population. Parents of people with bulimia appear to be more likely to have psychiatric disorders than parents of patients with anorexia.
History of Abuse. Women with eating disorders, particularly bulimia, appear to have a higher incidence of sexual abuse. Studies have reported sexual abuse rates as high as 35% in women with bulimia.
Family History of Obesity. People with bulimia are more likely than average to have an obese parent or to have been overweight themselves during childhood.