What causes eating disorders?

Theories about the causes of bulimia and anorexia abound. One of them is that the "ideal" portrayed by magazines, movies and television makes some young women feel abnormally pressured to be as thin. The fact that the skinny "waif"-look continues to be highly fashionable, Barbie dolls have literally impossible vital statistics and celebrities like Cher are having ribs removed to achieve an hourglass figure all seems to support this theory.

Another theory is that abnormalities in key chemical messengers in the brain may encourage the development or persistence of these disorders.

Next: The Bulimic