How Do Eating Disorders Affect Development?
                     HOW DO EATING DISORDERS 
AFFECT  DEVELOPMENT?
INTRODUCTION
• Eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder, are 
psychological disorders that involve extreme disturbances in eating behavior. A teen with 
anorexia refuses to stay at a normal body weight. 
Source: www.webmd.com
Causes of Eating Disorders 
• There is no one cause of an eating disorder. Experts link eating disorders to a combination of 
factors, such as family relationships, psychological problems, and genetics. The teen may have 
low self-esteem and be preoccupied with having a thin body.
Source: www.webmd.com
Symptoms of Eating Disorders
• Symptoms of eating disorders may include the following:
– A distorted body image
– Skipping most meals
– Unusual eating habits 
– Frequent weighing
– Extreme weight change
Source: www.webmd.com
Anorexia nervosa
• Anorexia nervosa affects as many as one in every 100 females. Teens with anorexia fear gaining 
weight and are at least 15% below their ideal body weights. They believe the main gauge of 
self-worth is their body image.
Source: www.webmd.com
Bulimia Nervosa
• Bulimia nervosa, or bulimia, is a type of eating disorder in which a person engages in episodes 
of bingeing during which he or she eats a large amount of food and then purges, or tries to get 
rid of the extra calories.
Source: nyulangone.org
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder
• In avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, a person is unable to or refuses to eat certain 
foods based on texture, color, taste, temperature, or aroma. 
• The condition can lead to weight loss, inadequate growth, nutritional deficiencies, and 
impaired psychosocial functioning, such as an inability to eat with others. 
Source: nyulangone.org
Binge Eating Disorder
• People with binge eating disorder eat unusually large amounts of food often and in secret but 
do not attempt to get rid of calories once the food is consumed. 
• People with the condition may be embarrassed or feel guilty about binge eating, but they feel 
such a compulsion that they cannot stop.
Source: nyulangone.org
Other specified feeding or eating disorder
• This include feeding or eating behaviours that cause the individual distress and impairment, 
but do not meet criteria for the first three eating disorders.
Source: www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au
Psychological risk factors
• Personality factors that make a person more at 
risk of developing an eating disorder may include: 
– low self-esteem
– perfectionism
– difficulties expressing feelings like anger or 
anxiety
– being a 'people pleaser'
– difficulties being assertive with others
– fear of adulthood
Source: www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au
Social or environmental risk factors
• Social or environmental risk factors in the development of an eating disorder may include: 
– being teased or bullied
– a belief that high expectations from family and others must be met
– major life changes such as family break-up, or the accumulation of many minor stressors
– peer pressure to behave in particular ways
Source: www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au