in your opinion, what are some reasons an individual might develop an eating disorder? course hero

What increases a person's risk of developing an eating disorder?

Coming from a family with a history of eating disorders can increase a person's risk of developing an eating disorder. A portion of this increased risk could be due to the modeling of eating disorder-linked behaviors within a family (e.g., observing a family member dieting).

Why do eating disorders run in families?

Genetic Factors. Coming from a family with a history of eating disorders can increase a person's risk of developing an eating disorder. A portion of this increased risk could be due to the modeling of eating disorder-linked behaviors within a family (e.g., observing a family member dieting).

What triggers an eating disorder in teens?

On the other hand, an unhealthy model can act as a trigger for a teen already prone to an eating disorder. Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating are the three major eating disorders. People with anorexia refuse to eat regularly and do not receive necessary nutrition to maintain a healthy body weight.

Why do people get anorexia and bulimia?

Anorexia and bulimia can be attempts to control or distract themselves from such trauma. Other psychiatric illnesses. Researchers have found that some people develop eating disorders in response to other psychiatric symptoms that occurred first.

What are 5 reasons that contribute to eating disorders?

Other genetic, social, and environmental factors that may increase your risk for developing an eating disorder include:age.family history.excessive dieting.psychological health.life transitions.extracurricular activities.

Who is most likely to have an eating disorder and why?

Eating disorders can occur in individuals of any age from children to older adults. However, studies show a peak in the occurrence of eating disorders during adolescence and early adulthood. Therefore, teenage girls and young women have the highest risk factor for developing eating disorders based on age.

What are some of the important factors that have led to eating disorders?

Risk Factors That Can Lead to Eating DisordersLow self-esteem. Teens with low self-esteem could be particularly susceptible to negative comments about her weight.Psychological conditions. ... Family relationships. ... Genetics. ... Society. ... Social media. ... Activities.

What are the three factors that people with eating disorders have?

Risk factors for all eating disorders involve a range of biological, psychological, and sociocultural issues.

Which of the following athletes is most at risk for developing an eating disorder?

Sports and eating disorders Young male and female athletes tend to be at a greater risk for having an eating disorder if they play sports that focus on personal performance, appearance, diet, and weight requirements. Such competitive sports include: Swimming and diving. Bodybuilding.

What are the characteristics of individuals who are more likely to develop anorexia nervosa?

People who suffer from anorexia nervosa tend to have high levels of harm avoidance, a personality trait characterized by worrying, pessimism, and shyness, and low levels of novelty seeking, which includes impulsivity and preferring new or novel things (Fassino et al., 2002).

What are some triggers that might affect the development of anorexia?

Some other environmental risk factors of anorexia are:bullying, especially about weight.childhood adversity or trauma.isolation and loneliness.being in environments with high pressure to have a smaller body (like modeling and ballet)history of family or generational trauma.More items...

Do social and cultural factors cause eating disorders?

Socio-cultural factors are one of the important variables involved in development of anorexia nervosa. The prevalence of the illness has shown a definite increase in last few decades.

Which of the following is a known factor in the development of disordered eating and poor body image?

It proposes that exposure to media, peer, and parental messages all contribute to whether a person idealizes thinness and engages in social comparison. These two factors (idealization and social comparison) may potentially lead to poor body image and various forms of disordered eating.

What protective factors are associated with eating disorders?

Many of the potential protective factors identified, such as family support and connectedness, may be non-specific to eating difficulties, promoting general adaptive development and a range of positive development outcomes.

Biological Causes of Eating Disorders

It can be frightening to know that there are biological factors that make one predisposed to eating disorder development. While some of the factors discussed later, such as environment or belief systems, can be changed, biological factors cannot be altered.

Psychological Causes of Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are characterized by disordered cognitions related to self-view, food, the body, and worth. This makes the psychological aspect of eating disorders important to understand and treat to combat the disorder.

Environmental Causes of Eating Disorders

Environmental factors that increase eating disorder risk involve societal beliefs and expectations, familial messages about food and the body, and interpersonal dynamics that impact self-view.

How to Treat Eating Disorders

Effective eating disorder treatment involves addressing every aspect detailed above. While biological factors cannot be changed permanently, an individual can find a psychiatric medication to support them in finding neurological balance.

Why do people with anorexia focus on their body?

For some people with anorexia, focusing on their body makes them feel they are in control of their world, particularly when everything else seems out of control . Eating disorders typically begins during adolescence (Gander, et al., 2015).

What is the course of illness?

The course of illness usually begins as goal-oriented tasks that aim to achieve modest weight reduction. Some modest weight loss is commonly met by a positive response from peers or adults (e. g ., a teacher or a coach).

Is bulimia a risk factor for anorexia nervosa?

Thus, the risk factors for anorexia nervosa are different than the risk factors for, say, bulimia nervosa. It's hard to say that all eating disorders share a common risk factor, whether insecure attachment or some other. It is sometimes observed that people with anorexia nervosa show signs of insecure attachment.

Is attachment a risk factor for eating disorders?

Insecure attachment as a risk factor for developing eating disorders. What Is Attachment? Inscure attachment is a key risk factor for the development of eating disorder (Bruch, 1982). A recent Netflix-produced drama (“ To the Bone ”) demonstrates the role of disturbed attachment as a contributing factor to the life of a girl suffering anorexia.

Does semi starvation affect social behavior?

That said, there is substantial evidence that semi-starvation causes changes in social behavior and emotions. In the Minnesota Starvation Study, for example, the human subjects who previously were well-adjusted and sociable became irritable, anxious, depressed, and critical of others once they became semi-starved.

Does anorexia nervosa cause insecure attachment?

It is sometimes observed that people with anorexia nervosa show signs of insecure attachment. However, this is not universally true. Furthermore, experts debate whether insecure attachment precedes the development of the anorexia nervosa, or whether the insecure attachment is a result of the anorexia nervosa.

Why do people develop eating disorders?

Researchers have found that some people develop eating disorders in response to other psychiatric symptoms that occurred first. These other psychiatric symptoms typically appear to be triggered biologically, and may or may not be related to events that were occurring in the individual's environment.

What are the causes of eating disorders?

Following are some of the most common causes of eating disorders. Major life transitions. Many patients with eating disorders have difficulty with change. Anorexics, in particular, typically prefer that things are predictable, orderly and familiar. Consequently, transitions such as the onset of puberty, entering high school or college, ...

How much more likely are people with eating disorders to develop eating disorders?

Studies show that in adolescents who develop eating disorders, those who were labeled as "severe dieters" had an 18 times greater chance of developing an eating disorder; with moderate dieting, 5 times greater; non-dieters a 1:500 chance of developing an eating disorder. Social problems. Most people who develop eating disorders report having ...

Can anorexics have bulimia?

Put another way, some anorexics feel their control over their eating is the first thing in their lives that they have done that was truly "their own idea.". Eating patterns and the way food is looked at within the family may also lead to the development of eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia.

Is bulimia a disorder?

Anorexia and bulimia are very complicated disorders, and different people can develop different types of eating disorders for different reasons. That is, while many individuals with eating disorders think and act in very similar ways, the reasons they have these thoughts and actions can be quite different.

Is anorexia a misguided disorder?

For a significant number of these individuals, anorexia is a misguided, but understandable, attempt at differentiating themselves from their parents. Put another way, some anorexics feel their control over their eating is ...

Is eating disorders a traumatic event?

A traumatic event. Evidence continues to accumulate that between one- third and two-thirds of patients who go to treatment centers for eating disorders have histories of sexual or physical abuse . It appears that the prevalence of sexual abuse in people with eating disorders is actually about the same as that for other psychiatric disorders.

What does it mean when you have an eating disorder?

A person that develops an eating disorder may have poor coping skills. They may not be able to cope with the current stressors in their life. They may feel that their life is out of control, and the only thing they can control is how they look and what they eat.

What happens if a parent has an eating disorder?

If a parent has an eating disorder, then the chances are good that one of their children will develop it too. Take for instance obesity. How many times do you see several people in the family who are overweight?

Why do people starve themselves?

The pressure that comes along with needing to be great can often be daunting. Some people will starve themselves to perform better. They feel that an extra ten pounds off their frame will improve their game. It can especially be a problem if there are others with the perfect body who seem to excel at their sport.

Is there a road to recovery for eating disorders?

The Road To Recovery. Regardless of the underlying issue, there are almost always psychological components that come into play with an eating disorder. It’s imperative for the family and friends of the person who’s suffering to watch for signs and confront them.

Can you catch an eating disorder?

What the medical community knows is that you can’t catch an eating disorder like the flu or a cold. Instead, it’s a conscious choice at first that soon spirals out of control. To treat an eating disorder, you must get to the root cause, and address those underlying issues. Here are the top ten reasons why a person develops bulimia, anorexia, ...

Does bulimia cause stress?

Studies have found that some people with bulimia have a higher level of cortisol than the general population. When the body is in a constant state of stress, it may cause a person to do things they wouldn’t normally do.

Is bullying a thing in high school?

Though there have been significant strides made in ensuring that bullying is brought to light, it still happens every day. Bullying doesn’t have to be in a classroom at a high school; it happens in an office and workplaces too. If a person has a few extra pounds, it’s not uncommon for them to be teased.

What are the factors that affect eating disorders?

Stressors or major life changes also factor into eating disorder risk. Stressors may come from a variety of places, from childhood trauma like physical or sexual abuse or school bullies, to a divorce or death in the family.

Why do girls have eating disorders?

Girls are especially at risk, since they experience hormonal changes during their menstrual cycle.

What is it called when you eat too much food?

Binge Eating. Binge eating occurs when individuals consume excessive amounts of food in a short period of time, without purging. This is also followed by periods of intense shame and guilt and isolation from friends and family because of this shame.

Why do people with anorexia not eat?

Anorexia. People with anorexia refuse to eat regularly and are not getting the nutrition they need to maintain a healthy body weight. Beyond the primary physical factors, people with anorexia experience an unhealthy fear of weight gain.

How does modeling affect eating?

However, your attitude towards eating and body image does have an impact on your child. By modeling healthy behaviors and attitudes, you can reduce the risk of your son or daughter developing an eating disorder. On the other hand, an unhealthy model can act as a trigger for a teen already prone to an eating disorder.

Can parents cause eating disorders?

Parents may blame themselves or be blamed by relatives when their child develops an eating disorder. The truth is, parents cannot directly cause an eating disorder. These are complex illnesses with many different influencing factors. However, your attitude towards eating and body image does have an impact on your child.

Is eating disorder a risk factor for teens?

Risk Factors for Eating Disorders in Teens. There is no one cause of eating disorders. These illnesses develop as a result of a number of factors – physical, environmental, and psychological.

Risk Factors For Eating Disorders

Risk Factors For Specific Eating Disorders

Genetic Factors

Environmental Factors

• Much of the earlier research on eating disorders examined environmental risk factors. As a result, they are frequently blamed for causing eating disorders. Environmental factors include events and influences in an individual’s life, such as diet culture, the media, trauma, and weight teasing. Influences such as gender, ethnicity, or certain athleti...

See more on verywellmind.com

Gene and Environment Interplay

Epigenetics