Eating disorders are complex brain disorders with strong genetic, neurobiological and psychological underpinnings. No single person, experience, or issue causes an eating disorder. They often co-occur with and can be hidden by anxiety disorders, depression, OCD, PTSD, and substance use disorder. The good news is that we don't need to know the exact cause of your child's eating disorder to treat it effectively.

Researchers are still learning what triggers or "turns on" eating disorders in the brain. For many, it seems to come from a negative energy balance caused from more calories out than in which can be triggered by a diet, over-exercise, stomach bug, or surgery. Once that imbalance occurs, a switch flips in the brain, turning the eating disorder on and tyrannizing the brain.

Many people use disordered eating behaviors, such as bingeing, purging, excessive exercise, and restricting, to help regulate or soothe their emotions – similar to the use of alcohol or self-harm to escape difficult feelings. When these behaviors are used frequently to manage emotions, it goes from 'disordered eating' to being an 'eating disorder.'

Societal and cultural factors such as the pandemic, diet culture, and social media can trigger an eating disorder for those with a genetic predisposition and/or can trigger big emotions that people try to combat with disordered behaviors.