This is a question that is always on the minds of families or loved ones when they need to deal with the presence of an eating disorder. And it is understandable question, especially given that they are in the business of “making sense.” That is, we really want to understand the causes, assign proper blame and then figure out how to deal with the situation. The real answer to this question, however, is more about recognizing the fact that trying to put the blame on himself and others is totally the wrong approach and is not only unhelpful, but destructive. So do yourself and your loved one a favor and throw the question aside as irrelevant.

That being said, though, you need to be open to consider their own attitudes and behavior towards food, dieting or body, which may be a contributing factor to support the existence of eating disorders, but not the cause. One way to look at this is to note that too much caring parents, spouses or other figures important Authority (eg coaches) about healthy eating, calorie consumption or size / weight does not cause eating disorders, but can support the development of disordered eat because you have suffered these particular thoughts and behavior. The same would be true for alcohol or pornography use. What a person is exposed to will bring awareness to this particular form of reconciliation and will make it possible coping choice, even if it is a negative one.

You may also need to be open based on relational or family dynamics that may contribute to emotional stress in a person who has turned at food as a way to cope with emotional or environmental stress. For example, parents tend to over-control the behavior of their teens, emotional responses and social interactions, may be inadvertently contributing to stress that triggers the onset of eating disorders. Family crises, sudden death, a family member, divorce or separation, or other major life changes can also overwhelm the coping resources of the individual. Similarly, excessive criticism or hire a partner (or partners) may have a similarly negative effect. It is therefore important to examine their parenting behavior, skills and interpersonal style for fields, but needs to be improved. For example, if you have trouble applying your own feelings, examine how you deal with problems. Do you tend to self-medicate in some way, teaching others, or throwing tantrums? How can you learn better, healthier coping skills so that you can model this for your loved one? In these cases, looking for a family or individual therapy to correct unhealthy patterns and support the development of good signs, healthy coping and mutual respect can be in order.

If this still sounds like you are to blame, consider this additional, very important detail: not everyone who is exposed to these environmental factors will develop an eating disorder. Thus, scientists do that one has to be at risk of disease (eg, specific genetic markers) to environmental stressors or triggers to be moving at the beginning of eating disorders.

In summary, rather than thinking about whether or how much you are teaching and incurring overwhelming guilt and frustration that accompanies the belief that you have caused harm, focus on learning what unhealthy behaviors that you may need to eliminate or what new skills or interaction patterns You may have to learn in order to fully support the balanced and healthy attitude to food and body image while sitting good relational and emotional health that are accompanied by a trusted coping own. Just as you can be part of an environment that promotes the development of eating disorders, can also help to create an environment that fully supports recovery.

For more information on how involved parents should be on during treatment and recovery, see “eating disorders adolescents :. Parenting Tips for recovery”