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What causes an eating disorder is an age-old question that has no definitive answer. There does not seem to be one clear cause, rather a series of causes or events. The most common causes stem from the cultural and family upbringing. The cultural factor is most evident in North America, where the highest percentage of eating disorder cases is. In this society, thinness is equated with beauty and success.
According to the overwhelming amount of advertising and the huge diet industry, beauty and success cannot be achieved without thinness. You only have to open up a beauty magazine, or turn on the TV to see that this is true. Thin models and actors are paraded in front of us constantly, reminding us of how life could be if only we were thinner!
Family pressures also play a large role in the development of an eating disorder. Look at your family right now. Was your mother always dieting and watching her weight? Did your father criticizes other people who were overweight? How about your peers at school? Which child was the butt of all the jokes, picked on constantly, made to feel inferior? I’m almost certain it was the child who was overweight!
All of the above factors contribute to low self-esteem and in turn may result in an eating disorder. Although many children may not develop an eating disorder, the effects of such ridicule will bare its ugly head in some other way. You can be sure of that.
There are some medical and genetic factors that may also contribute to the development of an eating disorder. These have not been thoroughly investigated to date, but well worth mentioning. A family history of depression or eating disorders seems to increase the risk that a family member may develop an eating disorder. This link could be of importance when it comes to identifying those at risk and helping to prevent the development of an eating disorder. History has always shown that it is easier to prevent an illness then to treat it. In the case of eating disorders, this is doubly true.
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