Eating disorders
What causes eating disorders?
Eating disorders are often blamed on the social pressure to be thin, as young people in particular feel they should look a certain way. However, the causes are usually more complex. An eating disorder may be associated with biological, genetic or environmental factors combined with a particular event that triggers the disorder. There may also be other factors that maintain the illness. Risk factors that can increase the likelihood of a person having an eating disorder include: having a family history of eating disorders, depression or substance misuse being criticised for their eating habits, body shape or weight being overly concerned with being slim, particularly if combined with pressure to be slim from society or fora job for example, ballet dancers, models or athletes certain underlying characteristics for example, having an obsessive personality, an anxiety disorder , low self-esteem or being a perfectionist particular experiences, such as sexual or emotional abuse or the death of someone special difficult relationships with family members or friends stressful situations for example, problems at work, school or university
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Introduction
Read about the different types of eating disorders including anorexia nervosa, bulimia and binge eating, as well as what causes them and the treatments available.
Types of eatingdisorders
Eating disorders include a range of conditions that can affect someone physically, psychologically and socially. The most common eating disorders are: Anorexia nervosa when a person tries to keep
What causes eating disorders?
Eating disorders are often blamed on the social pressure to be thin, as young people in particular feel they should look a certain way. However, the causes are usually more complex. An eating disorde
Do I have an eating disorder?
Doctors sometimes use a questionnaire to help identify people who may have an eating disorder. The questionnaire asks the following five questions: Do you make yourself sick because you feel uncomfo
Spotting an eating disorder in others
It can often be very difficult toidentify that a loved one or friend has developed an eating disorder. Warning signs to look out for include: missing meals complaining of being fat, even though th
Who's affected byeating disorders?
A 2015 report commissioned by Beat estimates more than 725,000 peoplein the UK are affected by an eating disorder. Eating disorders tend to be more common in certain age groups, but they can affect pe
Treating eating disorders
Ifan eating disorder isn'ttreated, it can have a negative impact on someone's job or schoolwork, and can disrupt relationships with family members and friends. The physical effects of an eating disord
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