The causal factors of eating disorders are not completely understood. There are however a number of risk factors and causes associated with the development of eating disorders. In this post, we will focus on these general causes though we will later specialize on the causes for each eating disorder (Anorexia nervosa , Bulimia nervosa and Binge-eating) when we discuss them independently. That said here is a description list of causal factors linked to eating disorders:
- Psychological factors– Particular psychological factors such as anxiety, depression, the inability to manage stress and poor self-image can trigger eating disorders. Persons with the mentioned psychological factors may result in using food to cope with stressful situations. For example, if one tends to consume food when angry or depressed to maintain their emotions, this could lead to an eating disorder because they may tend to over-eat to manage their emotions. Body dissatisfaction or being obsessed with being thin can lead to eating disorders as one may feel imposed to implement unhealthy eating habits such as severe dieting to become thin.
- Behavioural factors-Behaviours such as the inability to express one’s emotions or feelings may contribute to the development of eating disorders. For instance, if one tends to not express themselves, but have the habit of finding a way to manage their emotions and feelings by controlling food, he or she could develop an eating disorder. Also, behaviours such as extreme dieting, restrictive eating, and laxative use, may trigger an eating disorder. If you are accustomed to severely restricting your food intake, you could trigger an eating disorder .
- Social factors-Societal pressures to be of certain weight or appearance especially emanating from media platforms can promote to the development of eating disorders among certain persons. An individual, who is concerned about achieving those standards of weight and appearance showcased by the media, may feel the need to implement extreme unhealthy eating habits in order to attain such standards. Social stressors, for example, peer pressure and bullying, may also predispose one to eating disorders.
- Genetics-Eating disorders are usually common among persons within a family. This indicates that the genetic component plays a role in the development of eating disorders. A person from a family with a history of eating disorders is at increased risk of developing an eating disorder.
The causes of eating disorders are not well understood though various factors including psychological, social, and behavioural factors and genetics have been linked to the likelihood of getting an eating disorder.