Eating Disorders & Body Image Group

What Causes One to Develop an Eating Disorder?

Socio-cultural Factors:
1. Cultural pressures that place extreme value on "thinness" and obtaining the "perfect body."
2. Cultural norms that place emphasis on physical appearance and not one inner strengths and qualities.
3. Definitions of beauty that are extremely narrow and include only women and men of specific body weights and shapes.
4. Persistent and pervasive media messages encouraging dieting likely lead to high rates of chronic dieting in at-risk groups of adolescents.

Interpersonal Factors:
1. Difficulty expressing ones feelings and emotions.
2. Family disharmony and troubled interpersonal relationships.
3. A history of being ridiculed based on size or weight.
4. A history of sexual and/or physical abuse.
5. Family factors such as obesity in the family, parental preoccupation with eating and weight, unrealistic expectations for achievement.

Biological Causes of Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa affect millions of people each year in the United States Popular thought holds that these disorders are caused by women trying to fulfill a culturally imposed ideal body image which stresses thinness. As anorexia and bulimia have proven difficult to treat solely with a psychological-based treatment plan it is likely that there are many factors contributing to these disorders. Research has shown, however, that there is a significant biological component which leads to a manifestation of these disorders These include areas ranging from genetic factors to neurotransmitter and hormone imbalances. Genetics appears to play a significant role in predisposing a person to developing an eating disorder.

By Jeremy Hirst