Eating Disorders

• It is an obsession that one's whole self-esteem is hinged on what one weighs and how one looks.
• An Eating Disorder is an illness that encompasses all aspects of a sufferer's life.
• It is an unsuccessful attempt to make one's life better through food and eating (or lack of).
• It is way of reacting to an array of external and internal conflicts, such as stress, anxiety, and unhappiness.
• It is caused by a variety of emotional factors and influences.
• The most common element surrounding Eating Disorders is the inherent presence of a low self esteem
• It has profound effects on the people suffering and their loved ones.
• It is way of seeking approval and acceptance through negative attention.
• It is about the obsession with losing weight with no concern for what kind of damage it would involve.

Causes of Eating Disorders

1. Psychological Factors :

• People with eating disorders tend to be perfectionist. They have unrealistic expectations of themselves and others. In spite of their many achievements, they feel inadequate, defective, and worthless.
• Low self-esteem
• Feelings of inadequacy or lack of control in life
• Depression, anxiety, anger, or loneliness

2. Interpersonal Factors :

• Troubled family and personal relationships
• Difficulty expressing emotions and feelings
• History of being teased or ridiculed based on size or weight
• History of physical or sexual abuse

3. Family factors

• Some people with eating disorders feel smothered in overprotective families. Others feel abandoned, misunderstood, and alone.
• Parents who overvalue physical appearance can unknowingly contribute to an eating disorder. So can those who make critical comments, even in jest, about their children's bodies.
• High expectations of achievement and success can also have a negative effect on children. Children learn not to disclose doubts, fears, anxieties, and imperfections. Instead they try to solve their problems by manipulating weight and food.

4. Social Factors :

• Cultural pressures that idolize "thinness"
• Cultural norms that value people on the basis of physical appearance and not inner qualities and strengths

5. Media Factors

• The media glorifies thin models and actors. What they see or read affects people.

6. Other Factors that can Contribute to Eating Disorders:

• Scientists are still researching possible biochemical or biological causes of eating disorders.
• In some individuals with eating disorders, certain chemicals in the brain that control hunger, appetite, and digestion have been found to be imbalanced. The exact meaning and implications of these imbalances remains under investigation.

Click here to know about types of Eating Disorders