Check out our blog for latest news and findings regarding eating disorders, including possible causes and cures, ways to support suffers through their recovery, and stories from survivors about their experiences.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Why Eating Disorders Persist

For decades, the finger of blame for adolescent eating disorders was pointed directly at mothers. Many believed that mothers who were too protective and attentive - or not attentive enough - caused the extreme behavior in their daughters. Today, however, the focus has shifted away from moms.
"More likely, though not a complete explanation, is a lethal combination of cultural and psychological development factors. 'This Is Beautiful' is a societal drumbeat. Look at any magazine, newspaper, TV or Internet advertisement. No plumb bodies urge us and our impressionable daughters to be like them... We see only painfully thin models."
As the need for approval shifts from parents and siblings to peers, the desire to fit in can be all-consuming. Some girls pursue, in health ways, the desire to be thin. Why some pursue it with extreme behaviors is still largely a mystery.

Raising teenagers can be tough, especially if you're dealing with an eating disorder, teen substance abuse, or behavioral issues. The Teen-Help-Directory lists resources for parents of teens and can offer help with a variety of issues.

Labels: modeling, influences, cultures

Posted By: Aspen Education Group

Comments:

Kaira on 7/31/2009
Anorexia is often the psychological symptoms of eating disorders that take the longest to overcome. Certain eating disorder behaviors like binge-eating and purging by vomiting also remitted long before psychological symptoms did. Eating disorder lasts for 4-5 years. This is prone to become chronic. The cause is not clear why people develop an eating disorder with a more malignant evolution that improves over time, and why others have a chronic disorder that is prone to worsen with time and can culminate in death.