There are many different reasons that an eating disorder can start and I am going to name a few. There could be a single traumatic event such as a rape with an adolescent, parents getting divorced, or something like this. There could be a 2-3 year period of unusual stress or pain going on; or an extended period of emotional pain; or onset of a mood disorder which if it is left untreated, then often women will use the eating disorder as an attempt to stabilize the mood. Having been a very sensitive child, in an invalidating environment is what causes an eating disorder. It is usually not just one thing that causes an eating disorder. It is usually a combination of events that happen. It could be something as simple as an invalidating environment (for example, a very sensitive child in a family and those feelings are not validated or not really understood so the child starts to feel like something is wrong with them) and the child is trying to fill up that void in their life and often they will turn to an eating disorder. So it could be a combination of things and it usually is. Women with eating disorders have common character or personality traits. They are highly sensitive women, they are usually perfectionistic, they are caretakers and they are highly intelligent.
