Define Etiology - Anorexia Nervosa?

The exact cause of eating disorders is not known. It is multi factorial in origin in which the personality of the patient, family relationship, socio-cultural factors and may be genetic factors play an important role. Although the fundamental causes of anorexia nervosa remain elusive, there is growing evidence that interacting socio-cultural and biological factors contribute to its causation, as do less specific psychological mechanism and a vulnerability of personality. It is possible that the disorders begin when there are disturbed family relationships, e.g., when the parents pretend to be getting along well with each other but are actually highly dissatisfied with their marriage. Such a family may be overprotective, rigid and too goal oriented. Some may have unusual interest in weight, food or shape of the body. The eating disorder for the child in such a family serves as a focus in order to bring control into an otherwise chaotic life.

It is not clear how these factors lead to intense fear of being fat that is central to both anorexia and other eating disorders like bulimia about which we shall learn later in this unit. Psychiatric illnesses like depression and obsessive compulsive behaviour very frequently are found in those with eating disorders, especially bulimia. These abnormalities may predispose to the development of eating disorders. Cultural factors are important. Today everyone wants to be healthy and fit. This may reinforce the fear of fatness in an emotionally unstable person; and may tip the borderline case into frank disorder. Occupation may also play a role. Dancers have a prevalence of anorexia nervosa 10 times that of the general population. Some studies show that a genetic component may be involved as well. However, such involvement in the causation of these disorders is considered only minor, if at all it exists. Apart from these, other multidimensional causative factors that lead to anorexia nervosa are: vulnerable personality; psychological conflicts - individual and family; socio-cultural factors -cult of thinness, hazardous dieting, social class and race and finally genetic and constitutional factors.