4. A child whose parents are constantly dieting might follow suit.
5. A child who has seen an overweight parent or relative suffer a heart attack might seek to prevent this happening to him by cutting back on food.
6. Abuse within the family often leads to an eating disorder.
7. A death in the family can create a feeling of helplessness and loss of control. A child might find comfort in having control over food.
8. An overprotective or over dominant mother has often been blamed in the past for her child’s eating disorder.
9. A passive or absent father has also been often cited as a reason for a child developing eating problems.
10. Social pressures might cause a child to start dieting and exercising. Within our culture young men who have a slim and athletic build are portrayed as being popular, attractive, healthy and successful in life. A young boy with puppy fat might feel he has to take drastic measures to achieve this image as soon as possible.
As well as the above-mentioned social triggers, eating disorders can also be triggered by chemical or biological factors. Chemical imbalances in the brain can lead to all sorts of behavioural disorders. It is also increasingly believed that there may be a genetic link, and certainly eating disorders seem to run in families. The bottom line is that every case is different. No one type of person gets an eating disorder, and no two people with an eating disorder are exactly alike. The common features seem to be that people who develop eating disorders suffer from a very low self esteem, and many find it difficult to express their true feelings or explain what is making them unhappy.
(published with permission in writing from:http://www.boyanorexia.com/)
