Eating Disorder Causes
Doctors aren't sure of the exact causes of eating disorders.
It appears that a variety of factors are involved, including genetics, family behavior
and culture. In some instances, the biological systems in the brain that
govern mood and appetite develop abnormalities.
Part of the explanation
may also be the messages that the media in modern, economically developed
nations send to young people, particularly females. These messages are that excessive
thinness is attractive. To be as thin as some teen idols and models requires
some people to achieve and maintain a weight that's not healthy. Although
it's possible for some idols and models to be both thin and healthy, the trouble
arises when some young people aren't able to sustain those body shapes without
an unhealthy — for them — amount of weight suppression.
For some
young people, the media message of thinness contributes to a distorted body image.
A bright, high-achieving 14-year-old who is rational in every other way may
come to believe that 90 pounds is the ideal weight for her 5-foot-4-inch frame,
when 110 pounds is actually the average weight for a girl that age. Gradually,
she may begin skipping meals, denying herself the fuel her body needs to develop
normally. She may get thinner and thinner, but still believe she is fat. Eventually,
she may become so undernourished that she needs to be admitted to the
hospital for anorexia.
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