Laura Collins, author of Eating With Your Anorexic, interviews experts in anorexia and bulimia and other eating disorders about what role parents play in causing eating disorders. http:/www.eatingwithyouranorexic.blogspot.com
Duration : 0:3:24
Do Parents Cause Eating Disorders? The experts speak.
18 Responses to “Do Parents Cause Eating Disorders? The experts speak.”
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My friend’s father …
My friend’s father called her obese from a very young age. She has never been overweight. Her father is obsessed with weight and is very controlling. Now she starves herself. I do put some of the blame on him.
I don’t believe ALL …
I don’t believe ALL parents cause eating disorders, but i DO believe they are the contributing factor, ultimately the cause in some cases. I know im probably going to get many thumbs down for that, but being a sufferer, it’s what i truly believe..
There are multiple …
There are multiple reasons behind eating disorders, a lot of the time it’s a coping mechanism, it’s about feeling like they have control over something in there life when they feel like they have no control over anything else. Yeah, it can be all about food, dieting gone too far, but most of the time there is more to it then that
AMEN. There is no …
AMEN. There is no just “ONE FACTOR” behind the mental illness of an eating disorder. It’s not just about the parents. Thank you for this video.
if they dont get that love it can kill.
But alot of people are attention starveing selfish people..sadly.and YOU CAN NOT BLAME ANYONE FOR WHAT YOU ARE cause you opened up an you allowed it now, you know better, so stop blaming get over it. a million people have bad parents an dont do that shit. :] im not heartless i had a eating disorder an i conquered it. so boo:] those of u who disagree will get it 1day
you can choose what …
you can choose what you are, and you can choose how you feel.
i honestly do think …
i honestly do think that my parents did cause my eating disorder and it is there fault- because they teach you everything you know and they don’t care enough to stop it. It is hard to explian but when parents divorce eating disorders are the only way out.
There are many …
There are many triggers for eating disorders (usually a combination) which may or may not involve parents. My therapist summed it up well by suggesting that eating disorders provide a way of dealing with unbearable anxiety and a world that feels chaotic. Focusing on controlling one’s body deflects your focus away from the pressures of life. Eating disorders also regulate emotions. In people vulnerable to eating disorders weight loss can trigger neurological changes that sustain the illness.
i think they play a …
i think they play a small part, there are many factors, they dnt cause disorders, but they can be a factor
i think it depends, …
i think it depends, if a child comes from a home with issues in eating or weight they can very well develop eating disorders soley based on that.
i think there …
i think there should be a bigger understanding that when they say parents don’t cause eating disorders, they mean non-abusive, supportive, and non-authoritarian styled parents are not behind it. However, abusive parents do cause children to develop unhealthy associations with food and that abuse or pressure can contribute significantly to a childs eating habits and help explain why they have maladaptive eating issues. I think there are a number of causes but to generalize on one cause is wrong.
I agree with the …
I agree with the fact that families don’t cause ED’s, but they don’t always help it. People are to concentrated on ED’s and wieght but we all have to find a way to be content with ourselves and not care what others think and ya I know it’s hard I’m anorexic too, but honestly I don’t think its a bad thing anymore because ya it can apparently kill you but come on it’s a life choice and if people want to live that way let them.
& to clarify this: …
& to clarify this: EDs are often a poor coping mechanism. what is the person coping with? often a family life, abuse, rape, bullying, getting told they aren’t good enough, pressure, etc. i understand your point, and some people are just ‘brain sick’. but families need to look at themselves too.
no causal link of …
no causal link of course. but writing EDs off as biologically based brain disorders is crap. like depression, there’s a social-physical feedback loop, seldom a solely physical ’cause.’ i grew up in an abusive home & ate from anxiety. i got pudgy &my family started calling me fat(I had normal BMI). did my family ’cause’ my ED? ’cause’ isn’t the right word. but maybe if the abusive sob didn’t destroy our lives &dirty my body, if my mom left him, if no one called me fat, food wouldn’t be an enemy.
You can say …
You can say miserable things to me, whatever you like. But if you think that parents cannot be the main cause of a child’s eating disorder, you only risk ignoring factors which desperately need to be addressed in order to turn on to the path of recovery. This said, I very much agree with the idea presented here that parents need to be seen as part of the solution. However, a problem involving parents can’t be fixed if we all think parents have had no role in creating a child’s problem.
I guarantee you all …
I guarantee you all, without a shadow of a doubt, that my parents were the main and predominant cause, far outweighing all others, of my eating disorder. I have had years after recovery to look back and find any other answers. I have been in University studying psychology for over 6 years now, I am not a dull little teenager who is mad at her parents. I have completely forgiven them. The truth remains the truth, however.
Great job. Kudos …
Great job. Kudos to you for seeking to debunk a common myth surrounding eating disorders. The medical world has perpetuated a tendency to blame the victims for far too long. It is high time that we hear a more balanced perspective – and you have done a terrific job with this.
good vid. …
good vid. personally I think that while in some cases the parents are not wholly responsible or responsible at all, they may still be a contributing factor. I dont think that that whole blame can ever be placed on the parents for the most part though