What causes an eating disorder?

Eating disorders include a range of conditions that involve an obsession with food, weight and appearance. The obsession is so strong that it disrupts everything from health to relationships to daily activities.

While common among young women, eating disorders are widespread and can impact people of all ages and sexes. It is estimated that several million people in the United States suffer from an eating disorder, and the statistics are growing. The number of men with an eating disorder has more than doubled in the last ten years.

Whether a person restricts food intake, binge eats, binges and purges, abuses laxatives, compulsively overeats or exercises excessively, these behaviors are often symptoms and not the problem. They frequently develop as a way of coping with emotional pain, conflicts related to separation, low self-esteem, depression, stress or trauma.

Eating disorder risk factors and triggers.

For people who are vulnerable to eating disorders, various life events can trigger symptoms. Triggers often occur during periods of transition, shock or loss. These are times when increased demands are made on people who already are unsure of their ability to meet expectations.

Triggers might include puberty, the beginning of a new school term or new job, the death of a friend or family member, the breakup of a significant relationship, divorce, critical comments from someone important or just making one’s way in a chaotic, competitive world.

Controlling the body by bingeing, purging and obsessive dieting.

This individual—under the influence of a culture that equates success and happiness with thinness—wants to take control of things, but isn’t sure how. Bingeing, purging, obsessive dieting and exercising, and other behaviors are not random craziness. They are misguided, ineffective attempts to take control of something in a world that seems overwhelming.

Ultimately, the interplay of several factors—biological, psychological, familial, social and cultural—can place a person at risk for developing an eating disorder:

Stressful life situations accompanied by a lack of adequate coping skills
Sensitivity to changes in life
Sensitivity to separation from family
Socio-cultural factors such as media messages about weight and appearance
Possible biological predisposition, genetics
Family dynamics
Trauma