What Are the Causes of Anorexia?
There is no single known cause of
anorexia. However, there are several things that may increase a person's risk of developing anorexia. These risk factors include:
- Personality factors
- Genetic and environmental factors
- Body image
- Biochemistry.
Most people with anorexia share certain personality traits: low self-esteem, feelings of helplessness, and a fear of becoming fat. In anorexia,
bulimia, and
binge eating disorder, eating behaviors seem to develop as a way of handling stress.
Genetic and Environmental Factors
Anorexia appears to run in families, with female relatives most often affected. However, there is growing evidence that a girl's immediate social environment, including her family and friends, can emphasize the importance of thinness and weight control. For example, regular discussion of weight and dieting may normalize societal pressure to be thin. Weight-related teasing by peers and family is related to low self-esteem, a poor body image, and eating disturbances in young girls.
Studies have shown that girls who live in families that tend to be strict and place strong emphasis on physical attractiveness and weight control are at an increased risk for inappropriate eating behaviors.
Additionally, people pursuing professions or activities that emphasize thinness -- like modeling, dancing, gymnastics, wrestling, and long-distance running -- are more susceptible to the problem.
