February 1 to 7, 2015, marks National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. This year’s theme is “Eating disorders: it’s not about the food.” The Douglas Mental Health University Institute, which offers unique expertise in eating-related illnesses, wishes to draw attention to this important week and remind those who suffer from an eating disorder that help is available.

The causes of eating disorders

Although for years eating disorders were attributed to problematic families and the media pressure favouring thinness, recent science suggests that the causes of EDs are not so simple. EDs need to be understood as representing the activation of genetic (hereditary) vulnerabilities by various kinds of stresses and strains from the environment. One main stressor is malnutrition related to excessive caloric restraint (i.e. too much dieting). Others include developmental stresses, excessive achievement pressure, and possibly even exposure to intrauterine stress. Dr. Howard Steiger, Director of the Douglas Institute’s Eating Disorders Program, has this to say: “Effects like these are likely due in part to epigenetic processes, through which environmental exposures of various kinds (including effects due to environments that encourage too much caloric restraint) can turn on bad genetic effects and switch off good ones. One of our studies shows that the longer people have suffered their eating disorder, the stronger the indications are of epigenetic alterations (i.e. of effects that change gene expression). In other words, EDs are not about superficial body image concerns or bad parenting. They represent real biological effects of environmental impacts in affected people that then get locked in by too much dieting.”

“Why is this important?” continues Dr. Steiger. “EDs have many causes—biological, psychological and social. But if we can reduce the social pressures that make people want to be thinner than nature may have intended, we will see fewer and fewer people falling prey to eating disorders…not to mention helping improve the self-esteem of a huge number of people who feel ashamed of their bodies and are down on themselves because they don’t live up to some media ideal.”

A few statistics

In Quebec, anorexia, bulimia and other eating disorders affect up to 100,000 women and girls. In Canada, it is estimated that 5% to 20% of people suffering from anorexia nervosa who have not turned to specialized services for help die from complications associated with the illness.
Data show that eating disorders and their consequences place a large burden on the healthcare system. In fact, some reports indicate that they are as costly among adolescents and young adults as are disorders such as depression.

Information

Florence Meney
Media Relations
Communications and Public Affairs
Douglas Mental Health University Institute
Tel.: 514-761-6131, ext. 2769
florence_dot_meney_At_douglas_dot_mcgill_dot_ca

Cynthia Lee
Media Relations Office
McGill University
Tel.: 514-398-6754
cynthia_dot_lee_At_mcgill_dot_ca
About the Douglas Institute – www.douglas.qc.ca