Getting Involved
Your generosity is what makes our efforts in the battle against eating disorders possible. Donate or volunteer today!
Find other ways to support The Elisa Project
Causes
Eating disorders are very complex and, despite scientific research, the biological and psychological underpinnings of these illnesses remain elusive. And while many individuals with eating disorders think and act similarly, the reasons behind their behavior can be quite different.
Although commonly viewed as self-destructive, most individuals with eating disorders don’t see the harm in their behavior. In fact, the bingeing, purging, or self-starvation developed as a way to fix other problems in their lives. These behaviors stem from a desire for control, not self-destruction.
Following are some of the most common causes of eating disorders:
Genetics: The lifetime risk for developing an eating disorder is 10 times greater for individuals whose relatives have an eating disorder than for those whose relatives do not. Similarly, studies show that genes account for approximately 58% of one’s risk for developing anorexia nervosa and 59% for bulimia nervosa.
Major life transitions: Many patients with eating disorders have difficulty with change. Anorexics typically prefer life to be predictable, orderly, and familiar. Consequently transitions (puberty, entering college or high school, major illness or death of someone close, etc.) can overwhelm them.
Family issues: The families of anorexics often feature highly controlling parents and poor boundaries between parent and child. For many, anorexia is a misguided—but understandable—attempt to distinguish themselves from their parents and gain control. In contrast, bulimics often have disconnected families. Bulimia can be a way to get attention or cope with the dysfunction.
Social issues: Most patients report having painfully low self-esteem before the onset of their eating problems. They attribute bad experiences—being teased about their looks, being shunned, a difficult break-up—to being fat and feel that becoming thin would shield them from similar incidents.
Failure at school, work, or competitive events: Eating disorder patients can be perfectionists with very high achievement expectations. With self-esteem tied disproportionately to success, any failure can produce feelings of guilt, shame, or worthlessness. Weight loss can be seen as the first step to self-improvement. Alternatively, binge eating and purging can either prove their worthlessness or provide an escape from these feelings.
Traumatic event: Between one third and two thirds of patients at treatment centers for eating disorders have been sexually or physically abused, plus a subgroup whose symptoms stem directly from abuse. Unconsciously or consciously they may try to avoid further abuse by losing enough weight to suppress secondary sexual characteristics (breasts, etc.). Similarly, foods can trigger abuse flashbacks, resulting in food avoidance. Anorexia or bulimia can develop as a means of control or distraction after major illness or injury.
Other psychiatric illnesses: Some people develop eating disorders in response to other psychiatric symptoms that occurred first—symptoms that typically appear to be triggered biologically and may or may not be related to events in the patient’s environment. So the eating disorder may be the psychological reaction to a biological problem.