Identify several factors that contribute to the development of disorders related to body image, eating, and exercise.
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Reply Tyshea Bellamy
Identify several factors that contribute to the development of disorders related to body image, eating, and exercise.
Disorders related to body image and eating can affect individuals from different walks of life, not excluding any age, racial group, or gender. Researchers have concluded that there is a combination of genetic, biological, behavioral, psychological, and social factors that can raise a person’s risk of developing a disorder that affects their eating habits, body image, and mental health. “Body image is defined as the thoughts, perceptions, attitudes, feelings, and behaviors around one’s physical appearance.” Even though there is no single cause of eating disorders, research indicates that body dissatisfaction is one of the best-known contributors to the development, maintenance, and relapse of eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. (National Eating Disorders Association, 2023). Binge eating and avoidant restrictive food intake are also commonly seen eating disorders. Each disorder can put people at risk of experiencing mental health problems; however, anorexia nervosa can be fatal. Suicide and medical complications associated with malnutrition and starvation are the common causes of death for patients diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, with suicide being the leading cause. Body dysmorphia is the mental/body image disorder that causes a person to be obsessed with fixing minor flaws on their body, most of which would only be noticed if pointed out. Although body dysmorphia is not the same as having an eating disorder, the obsessive thoughts regarding one’s appearance and perceived flaws can lead to eating disorders. According to the International OCD Foundation, ”Two or more disorders are considered comorbid when they occur in one person at the same time. Body dysmorphic disorder is often comorbid in individuals with eating disorders, and vice versa.” It is important to detect the symptoms and signs of an eating or body image disorder early on so that the road to recovery can be started as soon as possible. Medical monitoring, psychotherapy, nutritional counseling, and medication are often used as treatment methods.
References
FeusnerJ, F. F. N. (n.d.). Eating Disorders are Not the Same as Body Dysmorphic Disorder (And Why It Matters). Iocdf.org. Retrieved March 24, 2025, from https://iocdf.org/expert-opinions/eating-disorders-not-the-same-as-bdd/#:~:text=Differentiating%20between%20them%20is%20crucial,and%20behaviors%20related%20to%20food.
Eating disorders: What you need to know. (2024). National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/eating-disorders
Body image and eating disorders. (2023, October 20). National Eating Disorders Association.
