There is no single cause of an eating disorder. It is currently agreed that eating disorders are multi factorial – with social/cultural, psychological, biological, family and precipitating factors all playing a part in varying degrees for different people.

Contributing factors may include:

Social/Cultural Factors

• idealisation of thinness
• focus on appearance
• weight loss, fashion, fitness cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries etc
• media representations of happy, thin, successful people
• socialisation of women and men
  

Family Factors

There is no typical family ‘type,’ however, some family characteristics may need to be addressed during the recovery process such as:

• communication within the family/how family deals with feelings
• attitudes around the importance of appearance, achievement etc
• parent’s own body image/dieting behaviour
  

Biological Factors

The importance of biological factors is still being researched. Possible factors include:

• predisposition to imbalances in serotonin (a neuro-transmitter involved in mood and brain function)
• reduced blood flow to the temporal lobe
• fasting, over-exercise and vomiting may affect chemicals involved in mood control
  

Individual Factors

Not everyone exposed to cultural and family factors develops an eating disorder, therefore individual factors play an important role. Again, there is no one single cause, but some common experiences such as:

• people with high personal expectations
• belief that love is dependent on being ‘perfect’
• self-esteem issues
• high need for approval from others
• social anxiety
• people who find it difficult to express their own needs
• difficulty being assertive
• personality factors may be affected by malnutrition
  

Precipitating Factors

Often the onset of an eating disorder can be triggered by an external factor such as:

• life crisis - family loss, friendship loss, moving to a new home, school or job, personal disappointment etc
• accumulation of minor stressors; the impact of cultural, family or individual factors may intensify during periods of stress
• dieting (link to further information)
• history of abuse
• uncertainty