Can Eating Disorders Cause Depression?

There are lots of things that can cause eating disorders. Usually, eating disorders stem from a low self image or a lack of control in life. Sometimes, they are simply the result of a starved child. And sometimes eating disorders cause other mental health issues.

Lots of eating disorders start with a simple diet. Maybe you want to lose a bit of weight for prom or a wedding. Or, maybe you're just sick and tired of the way your body looks and want to make some changes. In the beginning, it seems like a simple enough goal. I know it did for me. The weight came off so easy at first. Then, I had to work a bit harder for it. Eventually, it wasn't a diet anymore. I lost control and wasn't making the conscious choice not to eat. I simply couldn't.

When the diet plan gets out of control and turns into an eating disorder, lots of people might notice before you do. It's hard not to notice when your friend suddenly looks like he or she is made out of twigs. It's hard to dismiss the fact that your friend or relative gets full after a piece of lettuce or almost inhales their food right before making a quick trip to the bathroom. Eventually, someone is going to bring it to your attention.

Depression is often at the root of eating disorders, but sometimes the process of the eating disorder is what causes the depression. Some of the ways that this can happen are listed below.

Insignificant weight loss. When you start a diet, the weight comes off pretty quick. Some of it is water weight, but some of it may come off for other reasons. Maybe you never ate vegetables before and you replaced your cookies with carrots. Or maybe you never got off the couch, but now you're jogging every day. At some point, this weight loss is going to plateau and the amount you lose in a given period of time is going to be less. As someone who has experienced an eating disorder first hand, I can tell you that the plateau is a killer for someone with an eating disorder. All of a sudden you start to feel like a failure and that's when the depression kicks in.

Lack of social situations. We all know that when someone starts confronting us with negative behavior, avoiding that person is much easier than actually dealing with the behavior. But, lack of socialization can bring on feelings of anxiety, depression and loneliness. For those that are in the throes of an eating disorder, it's much easier to sink into depression than it is to give up the eating disorder. So now, we begin to avoid people as well as food.

Vitamin deficiency. It's no secret that diet and exercise can have an enormous impact on your mental health. People often use diet and exercise to improve their mental health. Just as diet and exercise can improve your mental health, the lack of proper diet and exercise can damage your mental health. Not only will a vitamin deficiency cause physical problems, but mental problems as well. Cognitive processes slow down, anxiety sets in and often, depression takes over. Even if none of the other events take place that would cause depression, a lack of proper vitamins most certainly will.

Lack of control. In the end, the realization that the eating disorder has taken over can lead to an onset of depression, especially if this was a method for regaining control of one's life. When you realize that you are no longer able to make decisions about your eating habits, it's a crushing blow that causes all sorts of self image issues and an urge to avoid the ones you love. Depression sets in.

References: Personal and professional experience