Causes of Bulimia

Bulimia is the common name for an eating disorder known as bulimia nervosa. People who have bulimia are obsessed with their weight; they are desperate to lose weight and fearful of gaining weight. They are preoccupied with and unhappy with the size and shape of their bodies. While people with anorexia are below their normal weight ranges, a bulimic can have a normal weight. Bulimia is associated with eating binges and subsequent purges. During binges, a bulimic eats a large quantity of food in a short amount of time. Afterward, the bulimic purges by attempting to get rid of the calories with self-induced vomiting, by taking laxatives or by performing an unhealthy amount of exercise. Although there is no single cause of bulimia, the factors that can lead to bulimia can be broken down into groups.

Biological

There could be a genetic disposition for a person to develop bulimia. Young women who have a mother or a sister with an eating disorder have a higher risk of developing bulimia. It remains scientifically unclear, however, how much of a role genetics plays.

Psychological

There are two psychological traits that people with bulimia have in common. One trait is low self-esteem. Another trait is perfectionism. People with bulimia are often moody, have difficulty with controlling impulses and have problems with expressing anger. Traumatic events such as rape and stressful situations can trigger the onset of bulimia. Also, a child is more likely to develop bulimia if the parents themselves diet, if they are overly critical of how a child's body looks and if they think looks are important.

Cultural

Success and wealth can be associated with thinness in the media, and cultural norms can reinforce this idea. Peer pressure can add to the pressure of focusing on body weight. A body without flaws is often the cultural ideal, especially as it is presented to young women. All of these cultural factors can cause bulimia by creating an unnatural focus on weight and a perpetual sense of not measuring up to an ideal thinness.