What causes eating disorder?

Answer 1

There has been genetic research over the last 5-10 years that points to there being a strong genetic component to eating disorders. Some would estimate 40-70% of the variance is attributable to genetics. There is some support for similar genes at work in obsessive compulsive disorder and some eating disorders.

Other current thought adds to this base and states that there are a few "trigger events" that a person may experience that could potentially "set off" the genetic predisposition. These events may include pressure to diet for the purpose of achieving a specific figure or pressure to exercise (for similar reasons). Of course there are other reasons why eating disorders may occur as well including various family dynamics/ pressures, history of sexual abuse can contribute, and many other things that could increase stress.

If you suffer from an eating disorder, you should certainly seek help from a qualified professional. Genetic or environmental basis - many who have suffered from eating disorders state they are now fully recovered.

Answer 2

Eating disorders are caused by several different factors. Anorexics- start out with either a distorted body image and decide to go on a diet and after this person starts receiving attention (positive attention), they decide that they might be even more popular with losing more weight and so they take it to the extremes. Sometimes it is a case of seeing someone else who they percieve to be perfect in their body image and so follow in a diet's footsteps and, once again, take it to the extremes. Bulimics- start bingeing and purging because they are in emotional pain and turning emotional pain into physical pain can help. Those people who do it because they think it will make them skinnier are wrong, they will probably actually gain weight because when someone binges they take in somewhere around 20,000 calories, the problem being that whenever they throw up (it doesn't matter how soon after eating) they will still be throwing up just half of the calories. That means that just for that one meal alone they are taking in 4-5 times the amount of calories they should be taking in for the entire day and then they starve themselves in between binges. Obesity(is an eating disorder)- start out over-eating because they are unhappy about something whether it is someone else telling them they are too big or anything else in their life that is stressing them.