What causes eating disorders?

Multiple stressors: Some likely causes are; sexual abuse, dysfunctional families full of ridicule regarding weight, size and eating habits, social pressures at school, home or organized groups one attends. Also medical problems affecting appearance, motor functions, speech or hearing. Our culture of thinness in the U.S. Is harmful. Clearly genetics has a role as well in "setting the table" for eating disorders.

No one cause: Causes of eating disorders are complex. Conflicts about body image, self-esteem, anxiety, depression, perceptual errors (over estimating how overweight one is), family values & biology all contribute. Anorexia (an) occurs more often among younger women, while binge eating is more common among males & older persons. Mortality rates are 6 times higher among an patients than in the general pop.

Eating DO: The specific causes are unknown. It is however believed to be combination of biological (such as genetic predisposition) , psychological (such as self-image distortions), &/or environmental factors (such as social isolation, early maltreatment, cultural, peer pressure) . As i tell my patients, "genetics loads the gun, environment pulls the trigger".

Biological base: In my practice, the majority of patients with eating disorders have bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, so a similar anxiety disorder. The majority also have had some form of physical or sexual molestation or abuse. In my opinion, the best treatments focus on the causes. Biologically based causes respond well to medications, and the psychological damage responds to psychotherapy.