Eating Disorders and the Brain

Eating disorders are biologically based brain illnesses influenced by environmental and psychological factors. Environmental risk factors for developing an eating disorder include weight and appearance pressures, media messaging, and weight bullying. Biological factors include dieting/food exposure, genetics, neurochemistry, neurobiology, and hormones (notably estrogen). Psychological factors include stress, life transitions, identity, trauma, anxiety, depression, and substance use. While risk factors predispose certain individuals to eating disorders, precipitating factors such as significantly altering how one eats or stressful life events make may an individual more likely to develop and eating disorder. Once an eating disorder is present, maintenance factors take over. These factors that maintain an eating disorder include biological changes that occur as a result of disordered eating and psychological factors that are connected to the eating disorder behaviors that then turn and reinforce a person’s repetitive, disordered behaviors. What makes certain individuals vulnerable to developing an eating disorder? Eating behavior is mediated by a large network of interacting neural circuits that include numerous areas of the brain, including the prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate, insula, and the amygdala. We know that our eating behavior is determined by several signals that come into our brain through our mouth or through our gut. The experience of eating (Does this fo...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Anorexia Binge Eating Bulimia Bullying Children and Teens Eating Disorders Neuroscience Psychology Women's Issues Body Dysmorphia Body Image bulimia. food addiction Source Type: news