Can Depression Cause Eating Disorders?

There are a few different kinds of eating disorders and more than a few reasons that eating disorders begin. In fact, eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia generally aren't the core problem, they are simply the symptom of the problem or problems.

Depression can leave a person feeling completely out of control in his or her life. Sometimes, a lack of control is what causes the depression as the events around the person spiral into a vortex of loneliness and despair. Depression can also cause weight gain as a person takes comfort in their food. But really, eating disorders are all about control. The person with the disorder sets out to control the amount of food they put in their body, yet soon the eating disorder takes control as the body becomes used to and responds to current eating habits.

Often, those that have depression are told to deal with it by making and meeting short term goals. In other words, they are supposed to take back control of their lives. This is actually a great method of dealing with depression since it doesn't put undo stress on the person with the affliction and it allows them to set their own pace so that they are able to meet their goals. The problem is that sometimes this goal setting is so successful that the person who is using food as a way to measure their goals takes it to an extreme.

Teens with depression are at high risk for the development of eating disorders. They have very limited control in their lives. Not only are their actions governed by the rules of their parents and other authority figures, but their very emotions may be out of control due to hormonal changes that happen as they grow. Dieting can make the teen feel some sense of control in their lives as they determine what they allow to be put in their body or remain in their body.

With depression comes a low self esteem. Those who are depressed often seek solace by attention seeking, self harming and other negative behaviors. They may have feelings of worthlessness and sometimes have a very distorted view of themselves, even extending to their physical image. This distorted view is certainly a component in developing unhealthy eating habits that are meant to change the physical image.

Can depression lead to an eating disorder? Most certainly. Believe it or not, sometimes the eating disorder is the method that the person uses to come out of the depression. In the beginning, it even actually works very well for them, right up until the diet becomes an actual eating disorder and begins to take control of the person's life.

It's not just about the eating disorder either. Some of the foods that we eat can help us to stay in a depression. For instance, loading up on carbs while not being physically active will make the body feel sluggish and may cause things like headaches.

Likewise, some of the foods that we eat can help to combat depression. In fact, they lay the groundwork for how the body and mind work together. In fact, having experienced an eating disorder born of depression and a low self esteem, my diet is the first thing I look at when I start feeling like my energy is depleted and I'm on the verge of random crying spells. Carbs are usually the biggest culprit and the first thing I put to the side in order to avoid depression.