Causes?
An eating disorder has no single cause.
They usually come about from a combination of events/ situations including genetic factors, a predisposition to the illness which may be personality related and a trigger.
Almost all eating disorders start with some type of dieting or exercise regime whether it be healthy eating, reducing high calorie snacks or increasing physical activity. This combined with low self esteem appears to increase the risks of developing an eating disorder. With eating disorder sufferers there appears to be a point where they cannot "go back" and the diet/exercise regime takes total control of their lives.
Many parents want to understand what caused their child to become ill, but in most instances it will be hard to fathom. Our recommendation is to focus on supporting and loving your child.
Listed below we have provided a summary of current thoughts on what can cause an eating disorder.
Genetics
Genetic factors are believed to play a significant part in the risk of developing an eating disorder. If a first degree relative (i.e. sister, daughter or mother) has or has had an eating disorder you are 10 times more likely to develop anorexia.
Unhealthy eating and dieting
While not everyone who diets will develop an eating disorder , almost every eating disorder begins with a diet. Not allowing yourself to eat certain foods or enough food creates physiological and emotional responses. People with Eating Disorders lose the ability to 'listen to their bodies' and are unable to tell when they are hungry or full. They need family members, perhaps using a meal plan devised by a nutritionist, to encourage them to eat 'normally' because often they can't do this on their own.
EDEN (Eating Difficulties Education Network) in Auckland has some alarming statistics on dieting.
"I used eating as a way of keeping control; I didn't have much confidence but felt that if I could control what I ate I could cope with everything"
- 81% of 10 year old girls are afraid of being fat.
- 46% of 9 - 11 year old girls are "sometimes" or "very often" on diets, as are 82% of their families.
- Girls are more afraid of becoming fat than they are of nuclear war, cancer, or losing their parents.
Predisposition
There are a number of personality traits that have been identified as precursors to eating disorders.
- Kind and caring
- Self critical
- Ethically aware and generous
- Low self-esteem
- Low mood or depression
- Intelligent and a deep thinker
- Very sensitive to other's opinions
- Very self conscious
- Perfectionist
- Anxious
- Fears about sexuality
- Feeling unprepared for adulthood
- Poor problem-solving skills
Trigger
As well as the genetic link and/or a predisposition to anorexia most often there is a trigger. A trigger can often happen at a time of transition, shock or loss where increased demands are made on people who are already unsure of their ability to meet expectations. Such triggers might include a life change, moving house, bullying, teasing, puberty, starting a new school, beginning a new job, death, family problems, divorce, break-up of an important relationship, graduation into a competitive world or something as devastating as rape or incest. Basically a trigger is a situation that a person is struggling to deal with.
Wanting to take control and fix things, but not really knowing how, and under the influence of a society that equates success and happiness with thinness, the person tackles his/her body instead of the problem at hand.
Perhaps the most common trigger of disordered eating is dieting. As simplistic as this may sound, many cases of disordered eating start off with dieting. The dieting may then become an object of control over other circumstances in life and the person is slowly drawn into a vicious cycle of thoughts and obsessions.
Our modern world and the media
There has been a considerable amount of discussion and press in recent years, concerned that the images of thin models and celebrities are a factor in young females developing eating disorders. This is so significant that a parallel has been drawn between the statistics of females/ males that get anorexia. The media images of women, with few exceptions, are young and thin. The men are a mix of young and older and are portrayed as powerful in other ways than body image - socially and in the business world. Many people believe that the media stereotyping helps explain why 90% of eating disorder sufferers are women and only 10% are men. Having said this, anorexia has been around since medieval times.
Perhaps the modern world's preoccupation with obesity also encourages extreme anxiety about weight among vulnerable people.
Psychological
People with eating disorders tend to be perfectionists and set very high standards for themselves, thus have unrealistic expectations of both themselves and others. In spite of their many achievements, they feel inadequate and may focus on their flaws and imperfections. In addition they may see the world as black and white with no shades of grey. Everything is either good or bad, a success or a failure, fat or thin. If fat is bad and thin is good, then thinner is better, and thinnest is best.
People with an eating disorder may also be struggling with establishing a sense of identity. They may try to define themselves by manufacturing a socially approved and admired exterior. Even if they want to appear strong, inside they may still feel weak and powerless. An eating disorder may be an expression of strong emotions like anger which the person does not dare express directly and does not know how to express in a healthy way. They may then turn it against themselves by starving or binging and purging.
Initially, losing weight can be rewarding but for some people the weight loss gets out of control and the satisfaction in 'being thinner' becomes a nightmare. For someone with anorexia even if they have earned excellent grades or career honours, being thin may be the only achievement they define as significant They are not happy, but miserable, and they may cling to this achievement as if it validates their existence.
Having looked at all the possible causes that could contribute to getting an eating disorder it is very clear there is never one cause. In summary, there may be a genetic link, with a particular personality or predisposition and a trigger that set the illness in motion.
Conclusion
If you are a parent don't beat yourself up - it is not your fault.
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