Are Eating Disorders Contagious? Understanding the Development Risk Factors of Eating Disorders

Contributor: Crystal Karges, MS, RDN, IBCLC, Director of Content and Social Media at Eating Disorder Hope/Addiction Hope

Eating disorders are often associated with many misunderstandings, which creates shame, fear, guilt and stigma for those who are struggling with these psychiatric illnesses.

Eating disorders are often trivialized and simplified to nothing more than a desire to “look” a certain way, which implies that these are disease of choice. There could possibly be nothing farther from the truth.

Reality of Eating Disorders

The reality is that people do not choose to have an eating disorder any more than a person would “choose” to have heart disease or cancer. While eating disorders are classified as psychiatric mental illnesses, there are strong biological factors that influence the role of development, such as neurobiology and genetic predisposition.

These are factors that a person does not necessarily have control over. The danger in believing that eating disorders are diseases of “vanity” or something that a person can choose to have is that it undermines the critical need for professional help and treatment.

Other misunderstandings that circulate around eating disorders include the thought that these illnesses are “contagious” or something that can be spread to other individuals. There is no merit to this belief as well.

Being around a person who has an eating disorder does not automate development of one of these psychiatric illnesses as well. Because these diseases are incredibly complex and comprised of many different factors interchanging with one another, it is simply not plausible that eating disorders are contagious.

Challenging the Stigmas

Stigmas created in society about eating disorders are perhaps most damaging to the sufferer, which can prevent them from seeking out the appropriate help and care needed for recovery. Thankfully, advocacy efforts combined with research have helped change the face of these diseases and begin important conversations about how to best help support and treat someone in recovery. Being the psychiatric illness with the highest morality rate, eating disorders need to be taken seriously and understood in a context that connects a sufferer with evidenced-based treatment for recovery.

Community Discussion – Share your thoughts here!

What do you think makes recovery challenging in the face of stigma?

About the Author: Crystal is a Masters-level Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) with a specialty focus in eating disorders, maternal/child health and wellness, and intuitive eating. Combining clinical experience with a love of social media and writing, Crystal serves as the Special Projects Coordinator for Eating Disorder Hope/Addiction Hope, where her passion to help others find recovery and healing is integrated into each part of her work.

As a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, Crystal has dedicated her career to helping others establish a healthy relationship with food and body through her work with EDH/AH and nutrition private practice.

The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.

We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.

Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on July 14, 2016
Published on EatingDisorderHope.com