Are you on the journey to recovering from an eating disorder? Or maybe someone you know is suffering from one? If so, you probably want answers, starting with the big questions first. What causes eating disorders? Why do some people get them and others don’t? How did you or a loved one end up with an eating disorder?
This article uncovers some of the myths surrounding eating disorders and shares with you some of the the leading causes of eating disorders.
What is an Eating Disorder?
First, it’s helpful to define what an eating disorder is. The American Psychiatric Association shares that eating disorders are serious yet treatable mental illnesses in which a person experiences severe disturbances in both their eating behaviors and accompanying thoughts and emotions. Eating disorders can affect anyone, including people of every sex, age, ethnicity, race, and socioeconomic group.
Eating Disorder Myths
As the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) contends, there are many myths and false ideas surrounding eating disorders and their causes. Here are some of the most common eating disorder myths you need to know.
MYTH #1: PARENTS CAUSE EATING DISORDERS
Parents, especially mothers, have traditionally been blamed for their child’s eating disorder, yet studies have been published by organizations around the world including NEDA and the Academy for Eating Disorders, revealing parents do not cause eating disorders. Instead, factors like biology play a much bigger role (more on that later).
While a childhood spent in a dysfunctional home could increase the risk for a variety of psychological problems (including eating disorders), it does not condemn a child to any psychological disorder.
MYTH #2: EATING DISORDERS ARE A “GIRL THING”
As stated earlier, eating disorders can affect anyone, no matter their sex or gender. While eating disorders are more common in females, research shows that a growing number of males and non-binary individuals are seeking help for eating disorders. For example, a 2007 study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention uncovered that up to one-third of all eating disorder sufferers are male.
MYTH #3: EATING DISORDERS ARE A CHOICE
This can’t be stated clearly enough—eating disorders are not a choice. They are serious, complex medical and psychiatric illnesses. Patients do not choose these illnesses, rather, there are genetic, environmental, biological, and social factors playing a role in the development of the illness.
So, what really causes eating disorders?
As bio-psycho-social illnesses, eating disorders do not have one single cause. Instead, genetic, biological, social, behavioral and environmental elements all play a role. So to better understand what causes eating disorders, let’s dive into the three main contributing factors.
BIOLOGICAL FACTORS
This may come as a surprise, but a wealth of research has established that there is a genetic basis for the development of eating disorders, just as there is for other psychiatric disorders like bipolar disorder and autism. Recent studies found that genetic components and inherited biological factors contribute over 55% to an individual’s risk for developing an eating disorder.
Need more proof? Studies of twins (which allow us to determine how much of a trait is attributable to genes) show higher rates of eating disorders in identical twins compared to fraternal twins and siblings. Additional twin studies also confirm that approximately 40 – 60% of the risk for developing anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and bulimia nervosa are attributed to genetic factors. Further, individuals who have an immediate family member with an eating disorder are approximately four times more likely to develop bulimia and 12 times more likely to develop anorexia than other individuals without a family history of these disorders.
While research has indeed established a genetic component in the development of eating disorders, it is important to note that other factors also play a part. Not everyone with a family history of eating disorders will develop one themselves, and some people will develop an eating disorder without having any history of eating disorders in their family. In short, genes are not destiny.
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
An individual’s environment can also play a significant role in the development of eating disorders. Things like traumatic experiences, sports performance requirements, an illness or injury, bullying or teasing, high expectations about grades in school, and family dynamics can all fuel eating disorder symptoms. And keep in mind that weight-bullying isn’t just for kids. Overweight and obese adults who experience weight-based stigmatization engage more frequently in binge eating, are more likely to develop an eating disorder and are more likely to be diagnosed with binge eating disorder.
These are all examples of how one’s environment can put them at greater risk of developing an eating disorder. However, environmental factors do not typically work alone to cause an eating disorder. Rather, one’s genetic predisposition likely influences how they respond to these environmental expectations and stressors, helping to determine whether or not they develop an eating disorder.
CULTURAL FACTORS
Culture can also play a part in causing eating disorders. In our modern western culture, it’s nearly impossible to go a single day without being bombarded with fat-phobic messaging, weight-loss ads, and the latest diet trends—not to mention the unrealistic “thin ideal” dominating the majority of our visual world (think the bodies represented on magazines and advertising, clothes and product models, and TV shows and movies). One study on American elementary school girls who read magazines found that 69% said the pictures influenced their concept of the ideal body shape while 47% said the pictures made them want to lose weight.
Several decades of research on culture and eating disorders support the belief that a direct connection exists between eating disorders and modern western culture. For example, the presence of eating disorders in countries like Fiji, Hong Kong, and Japan (among many others) was relatively non-existent or extremely low before Western, mainstream culture was introduced to them. After these countries embraced things like western television channels and social media, there was a significant rise in eating disorders among their populations.
Another “trend” in western culture contributing to the development of eating disorders is dieting. There’s diet plans, diet foods, diet groups, diet workouts, diet sodas, diet ads—you get the point, diets are practically everywhere. And while diets are not the cause of eating disorders, they are often precursors. For some people, what started out as a diet ends in a serious eating disorder. The National Eating Disorders Association reports 35% of “normal dieters” become pathological dieters, and 20-25% of those go on to develop an eating disorder. For those individuals who are predisposed (because of biological and environmental factors) towards developing an eating disorder, diets—with their illusion of control, constant calorie counting, and limiting of foods—are often the sling that catapults them towards a full-fledged eating disorder.
Eating disorders are complex mental illnesses caused by several different factors like biology and genetics, one’s environment, and the surrounding culture. If you or a loved one is struggling with an eating disorder, do not hesitate to seek help from a professional. If you want to find out more about eating disorders, check out these resources.