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Eating disorders usually are long-standing illnesses, which require long-term treatment and are often accompanied by other psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety, depression and drug abuse.
Eating disorders can be fatal.
They can inflict life-threatening medical complications including serious heart conditions (low blood pressure, slow heart rate, palpitations and heart failure) and kidney failure, which may ultimately lead to death.
Learning about the disease and what causes it may save us from these threatening complications.
What Factors Contribute to the Development of Eating Disorders? Eating disorders have been found to be influenced by a variety of factors.
Recent studies show the interconnection between the problem and certain biological, psychological and socio-cultural factors.
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Biological factors.
Studies indicate that certain people may have a genetic predisposition to develop an eating disorder and that it probably runs in the family.
Several researches prove that having a biological mother or sister with an eating disorder (anorexia, bulimia, binge eating) increases an individual's likelihood of developing the same disease.
A study involving twins also support this conclusion.
Scientific studies also found out that people afflicted with eating disorders have certain chemicals imbalances in their brains.
These chemicals are those which are responsible for controlling appetite, hunger and digestion.
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Psychological factors that may influence the onset or aggravation of eating disorders include low self-esteem, feeling of inadequacy or helplessness in some aspects of life and depression, anxiety, anger or loneliness.
They may have obsessive-compulsive personalities, which make it easy for them to stick to their rigid diets and to deny hunger altogether.
Persons afflicted with eating disorders may also be perfectionists and may never think that they would ever be thin enough.
Being overwhelmed by difficulties in family or personal relationships, having a history of being teased based on body weight or shape or a traumatic past (example are being subjected to physical or sexual abuse) may increase the person's predisposition to develop the disorder.
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Socio-cultural factors.
Society may also play a part in the proliferation of the problem.
It does not help that our culture promotes the "ideal figure" as that of the ultra-svelte and waif-like figures sported by models and famous personalities.
Neither does the media's unspoken promotion of the direct relationship between thinness and success or happiness help.
All of these put undue pressure, which may lead to the development and aggravation of eating disorders.
Several other events or situations may be associated with the development of eating disorders.
Dieting and the positive feedback given to people who lose weight may unconsciously precipitate the observance of excessive dieting.
The consequent criticisms that are bestowed upon those who have gained weight may also be another cause.
People want and need to be appreciated and some will go through extreme measures like excessive dieting just to achieve this.
Adolescents go through a series of bodily changes during puberty.
Some children are early bloomers and may find that their newly emerging bodies can be a source of unwanted attention.
To cover up for these changes, some may enforce strict diets hoping that this will somehow stop or delay the changing process.
This may lead to the development of eating disorders.
In some other cases, a certain degree of thinness is a professional requirement.
This is true especially in several sports, work and artistic arenas.
Take the case of models, actors and actresses who need to look good in order to succeed in their chosen field.
Or those involved in sports such as figure skating, gymnastics, running and wrestling where mobility is enhanced by losing weight.
Eating disorders can take control of the lives of people afflicted with this condition.
Knowing what causes the problem may eventually help us avoid it before it even begins.
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