Understanding Causes/Traits of Disordered Eating

“People told me to just eat.” – Lisa, 16 said when she was trying to recover from an eating disorder. Sadly, it’s not that simple. There are many underlying causes that can lead to eating disorders that are important to consider. While eating disorders may begin as obsessions with food and body, they are often about much more than weight. Understanding what lies behind eating disorders can help to understand and assist friends and peers who are struggling with unhealthy eating. It is important to note that each person is unique and the triggers of an eating problem are not limited to just what we discuss.

• low self esteem, feelings of helplessness and a fear of gaining weight
• feelings of inadequacy and lack of control
• Anorexic patients often hold unrealistic expectations of themselves in many different areas
• often good students, perfectionists, top athletes and high achieving
• depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive behavior, anger, and loneliness are often linked with eating disorders
• searching for a sense of control in some area of their lives - turn to the easiest thing they can directly control, their weight
• five traits, commonly found in eating disorder patients:
  1. personal high standards
  2. concern over mistakes
  3. parental criticism
  4. parental expectations
  5. doubts
• Hereditary:
  • people with a mother or sister who experienced an eating disorder are 12 times more likely than others with no family history to develop disordered behavior themselves)
• Genetics + Environment:
  • mothers who emphasized the importance of weight control and attractiveness put their daughters at a highly increased risk for the development of an eating disorder. Similarly, fathers and brothers who are overly critical of a girl’s weight can induce disordered eating..
• Biochemistry:
  • certain brain neurotransmitters, which not only promote healthy eating, but also regulate emotions, are significantly decreased in anorexic patients
  • many people who suffer from eating disorders also suffer from depression, as the two are thought to be linked
  • eating disorder patients have excess levels of cortisol, the brain hormone released in response to stress
• Biological:
  • link between stress and the desire to eat:
    
    • have you ever felt sad, overwhelmed, or upset and been taken out for ice cream to cheer you up? Foods that are high in sugar, fat and calories have shown to calm a body’s response to chronic stress.
    • Also, the hormones that are produced when your body is in a state of stress increase the production of fat cells (Deangelis, 2004). American daily life is often filled with incidences of stress and emotional discomfort. This can be linked to the increase of overeating and obesity in our society.
• Social:
  • adolescents experiencing family problems, such as divorce and remarriage feel a loss of control
  • also common in children who feel smothered and overprotected
  • families:
    • high expectations of success and achievement
    • difficulty expressing emotions and resovling conflict
  • personal relationships:
    • history of being teased or humiliated because of their weight
    • been physically or sexually abused also struggle with eating patterns