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40 years of research on eating disorders in domain-specific journals: Bibliometrics, network analysis, and topic modeling

Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

* E-mail: [email protected]

Affiliation School of Health Sciences, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas, Lima, Perú

Carlos A. Almenara

Published: December 15, 2022
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278981
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Previous studies have used a query-based approach to search and gather scientific literature. Instead, the current study focused on domain-specific journals in the field of eating disorders. A total of 8651 documents (since 1981 to 2020), from which 7899 had an abstract, were retrieved from: International Journal of Eating Disorders (n = 4185, 48.38%), Eating and Weight Disorders (n = 1540, 17.80%), European Eating Disorders Review (n = 1461, 16.88%), Eating Disorders (n = 1072, 12.39%), and Journal of Eating Disorders (n = 393, 4.54%). To analyze these data, diverse methodologies were employed: bibliometrics (to identify top cited documents), network analysis (to identify the most representative scholars and collaboration networks), and topic modeling (to retrieve major topics using text mining, natural language processing, and machine learning algorithms). The results showed that the most cited documents were related to instruments used for the screening and evaluation of eating disorders, followed by review articles related to the epidemiology, course and outcome of eating disorders. Network analysis identified well-known scholars in the field, as well as their collaboration networks. Finally, topic modeling identified 10 major topics whereas a time series analysis of these topics identified relevant historical shifts. This study discusses the results in terms of future opportunities in the field of eating disorders.

Citation: Almenara CA (2022) 40 years of research on eating disorders in domain-specific journals: Bibliometrics, network analysis, and topic modeling. PLoS ONE 17(12): e0278981. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278981

Editor: Alberto Baccini, University of Siena, Italy, ITALY

Received: February 5, 2021; Accepted: November 27, 2022; Published: December 15, 2022

Copyright: © 2022 Carlos A. Almenara. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Data Availability: The data that support the findings of this study are publicly available from the OSF repository: https://osf.io/5yzvd/ (DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/5YZVD ).

Funding: Funding for this study was obtained from Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (A-006-2021).

Competing interests: The author has no competing interest to declare.

Introduction

There are a large and growing number of scientific publications on eating disorders (ED) [ 1 – 3 ]. ED are mental disorders characterized by a continuous disturbance in eating behavior, such as Anorexia Nervosa [ 4 ]. ED are usually defined according to manuals like the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) [ 4 ]. The spectrum of ED can share some symptoms (e.g., fear of fatness ), and these symptoms negatively impact psychosocial functioning and physical health. Due to the complexity of ED like Anorexia Nervosa, scholar literature about them covers different disciplines, such as ED related to: visual arts (e.g., art history) [ 5 ], sociology (e.g., social history) [ 6 ] and even dentistry (e.g., oral health) [ 7 ]. Thus, ED literature has a broad diversity.

Previous bibliometric studies about ED have focused on: identifying the distribution by language, region and country, as well as topics and their trends [ 1 ], productivity trends and collaboration patterns [ 2 ], most cited works in Anorexia Nervosa research [ 8 ], cross-cultural aspects of ED [ 3 ], comparison of citations between types of journals [ 9 ], female authorship [ 10 ], secular trends in the scientific terminology [ 11 , 12 ], the gap between scientific research and clinical practice [ 13 ], the use of keywords [ 14 ], and network analyses of common terms used in the field [ 15 ]. In particular, the current study complements the work by He et al. [ 1 ].

A standard practice of these studies is to retrieve the literature by performing a systematic search in databases like Web of Science or Scopus (i.e., employing a query-based approach), although there are some caveats worth mentioning. As noted elsewhere [ 16 , 17 ], those two databases differ in journal coverage and their use can introduce bias favoring science publications (e.g., biomedicine) in detriment of arts and humanities, other than overrepresenting English-language journals. Second, databases in general (including others like PubMed, Dimensions, JSTOR), differ in their search engine functionality and information retrieval capabilities.

For example, some databases offer a controlled vocabulary like a thesaurus or taxonomy from which to choose the search terms (e.g., the Medical Subject Headings [MeSH] in PubMed), whereas others offer a full text search. Regarding the latter, indexing scanned documents to offer a full text search, requires pre-processing methods like optical character recognition (OCR), known to include typos, and post-OCR processing, both affecting information retrieval accuracy [ 18 – 23 ].

In other words, a query-based approach, although widely used, can be affected by several factors, including: domain expertise to design the most appropriate search strategy, the characteristics of the selected database(s), including indexation accuracy (e.g., due to OCR typos). The former is particularly important because scholars are not always consistent in using the terminology [ 24 ]. In fact, their selection of keywords is not systematic, but rather influenced by factors like their background knowledge and previous experience [ 25 ]. In this regard, within the field of ED, scholars are encouraged to use appropriate terminology [ 26 , 27 ], usually a controlled vocabulary such as the Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms. This helps to optimize the Knowledge Organization Systems (KOS) of journals and databases, such as a controlled vocabulary for information retrieval [ 14 , 28 ].

In sum, most previous studies have employed a query-based search, being compelled to choose among different databases, search terms, and search strategies [ 29 ]. Nevertheless, this approach not necessarily recognizes the boundaries and limitations of both databases and we as humans interacting with machines, using diverse information retrieval strategies, and dealing with information overload [ 30 , 31 ].

An alternative to the query-based approach is the one proposed in this study: to select a set of specialty journals exclusively devoted to the study of ED. Although this sampling could seem arbitrary, it was adopted: (1) to complement the findings of previous studies [ 1 , 2 ] and (2) because it has in fact a sound base: the intellectual and social structure of knowledge [ 32 – 36 ]. We must recognize that documents need to be understood with regard to "the broader contexts in which they are produced, used, and cited" [ 37 , p. 42]. Thus, the following sections will explain how domain-specific journals are tightly tied to an organized social and disciplinary structure. Moreover, I will explain how this approach does not necessarily exclude all ED literature from non-domain-specific journals, but rather incorporates part of it into their citations. Finally, from a complex systems perspective, I will show how domain-specific journals can be conceived as a specialized subset from the larger and more complex network comprising all ED literature.

Domain-specific journals and its social structure

From a scientometric perspective, science, metaphorically conceived as a knowledge space or knowledge landscapes , can be defined in terms of a network of scholars that produce a network of knowledge [ 35 ]. In the former case, the social function of science has long been recognized (e.g., by Thomas Kuhn): scholars produce and communicate scientific knowledge and this organized activity has the characteristics of a social process [ 36 , 38 ]. More importantly, the patterns of interactions and communication within this social organization are tightly tied, rather than isolated, to the knowledge they produce [ 36 ].

An exemplary case is the role of journal editors as gatekeepers, with studies identifying editorial gatekeeping patterns [ 39 , 40 ]. According with the Network Gatekeeping Theory, inspired by the work of Kurt Lewin, gatekeeping refers to the control in the flow of information [ 41 , 42 ]. In the field of ED, this intellectual and social organization of knowledge can be seen in professional societies like the Academy of Eating Disorder, which since 1981 publishes the most renowned scientific journal: The International Journal of Eating Disorders. Within its editorial board, there are distinguished scholars that can act as gatekeepers to ensure quality control and that manuscripts published by the journal are in line with the aims and scope of it.

In sum, domain-specific journals have the goal of publishing information within the boundaries of their aims and scope, allowing the diffusion of specialized knowledge.

Domain-specific journals and its disciplinary organization

From a network perspective, specialty journals are also indicators of disciplinary organization [ 43 ], which exerts a non-trivial influence at both the global and local level of the network. To be more precise, if we visualize a network [e.g., 2 , 44 , 45 ], the local density of specialty journals evidence emerging patterns such as citation patterns by articles from the same journal or group of journals [ 43 ]. At the author level, these patterns reflect the local influence of specialty journals on scholars who adhere to their research tradition and their contributions help to advance a research agenda [ 46 ].

For example, domain-specific journals on ED often publish curated information from conferences [e.g., 47 ] or special issues about a specialized topic [e.g., 48 ], which commonly include a research agenda [ 48 ], setting the stage for future research. As we mentioned above, similar literature, such as special issues about ED published in other journals [e.g., 49 ], is not necessarily excluded in the analysis of domain-specific journals. Rather, such literature is commonly cited in documents from domain-specific journals and can be included in a citation analysis. Importantly, these citation patterns suggest that the former intellectual and social structure of knowledge constrains what is being studied in the future [ 46 ]. Thus, in the upcoming years, most of this specialized literature is expected to become an active research front [ 32 ], as evidenced by its high number of citations.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that the analysis of these patterns can reveal latent hierarchies and topological properties of journal networks. In fact, domain-specific journals can be identified through the study of the hierarchical organization of journal networks. When hierarchical network analysis is used to identify the capability of journals to spread scientific ideas, multidisciplinary journals are found at the top of the hierarchy, whereas more specialized journals are found at the bottom [ 50 , 51 ]. Similarly, significant articles from a specific domain have unique topological properties that can affect the dynamic evolution of the network [ 52 ]. In sum, it is important to recognize the topological properties of networks and their latent hierarchies, both at the journal level and document level. In our case, focusing on domain-specific journals, it would be like zooming into the most central part (core) of the network topology to analyze its organization and distinctive features. Indeed, this approach is commonly employed, for example, when studying network subsets such as niches or communities in complex systems.

Domain-specific journals and complex adaptive systems

Domain-specific journals can also be comprehended from a complex systems standpoint, as the aggregation of the intellectual, social, and citation patterns outlined above. According to the Structural Variation Theory [ 53 ], the body of scientific knowledge can be conceived as a complex adaptive system (CAS). As such, it can be described and studied as a complex network with a series of characteristics like non-linearity, emergence, and self-organization; and a series of social, conceptual, and material elements that evolve over time [ 46 ]. Ideally, we must study CAS holistically to understand the properties of the system at the macrolevel [ 54 ]. In our case, this would require including all scholar literature on ED, which could be attempted using a query-based approach and employing ad hoc methodologies (e.g., iterative citation expansion) [ 45 ]. However, complex systems emerge from rules and behavior of lower-level components, and there is growing interest in understanding complexity from its simplest and fundamental elements and patterns [ 55 , 56 ]. In our case, this can be accomplished by zooming into domain-specific patterns that emerge from the relational structure and organization of journals and papers [ 46 ], rather than focusing on the whole system which comprises all the scientific literature on ED.

This approach can be described in terms of modularity , a structural property of systems: the local density of specialty journals is indicative of a structural module or subsystem [ 57 ]. This property of complex systems is important because it recognizes, as we did above, the existence of subsets within networks. Indeed, scientometric studies usually attempt to detect communities based on the principle of modularity by grouping similar literature (i.e., clustering) [ 44 , 58 ]. However, in the approach used in this study, rather than using bibliographic connections (e.g., through co-citation analysis) to detect domain-specific literature, we can use logical connections [ 59 ], to identify modules that operate as domain-specific representations [ 60 ]. In other words, domain-specific journals can be seen as clusters of articles that are logically linked because they all pertain to a given domain, which is explicitly stated in the aims and scope of the journals.

This modular organization has some advantages over others such as a hierarchy (e.g., Scimago categorization of journals) or a cluster obtained by literature partitioning algorithms. First, it has the advantage of reducing both complexity bias and hierarchical bias . The former is the tendency to assume and adopt a more complex system (the opposite to Occam’s Razor: prefer the simplest explanation), which means to analyze all ED literature. The latter assumes that behavior is directed in a hierarchical fashion, where a central authority passes instructions to all agents in the system [ 54 ]. Second, although it still recognizes a hierarchical structure composed by diverse classes of subsystems, it assumes heterarchy [ 43 , 61 ], which means that both hierarchical and nonhierarchical elements can be present in a system; holarchy , which means that systems are composed of components that can be recognized as subsystems [ 62 ]; and glocal control , which means that local and global phenomena in a system are achieved by local actions [ 63 ]. In simple words, sampling a set of domain-specific journals reduces complexity without affecting assumptions such as a categorical hierarchy of journals.

The current study

To expand on previous studies [ 1 , 2 ], the current study aims to answer the following research questions:

Which are the most cited documents in this domain-specific corpus of articles?

Which are the most important authors and their collaboration networks?

Which are the most relevant topics in this domain-specific corpus of articles?

How have the identified topics evolved over time (since 1981 to 2020)?

To answer these questions, this study employs a hybrid methodology. First, basic bibliometrics will be performed to identify the most cited documents. Second, network analysis will be employed to identify the most important authors and their networks of collaboration. Third, text mining, natural language processing, and machine learning algorithms will be used to identify the most relevant topics (i.e., topic modeling). Finally, a simple time series analysis will be performed to examine the evolution of these topics over time. The procedure employed for the analyses is detailed in the methods section below (and S5 File ), whereas the dataset and the code to perform the analyses are shared in a public repository ( https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/5YZVD ), allowing the reproducibility of results [ 64 ].

Data collection

The methodology workflow is presented in Fig 1 .

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278981.g001

First, in May 2020, a search of journals was performed in Scimago Journal Reports (SJR, https://www.scimagojr.com/ ), using the term “eating disorders”. In this step, the following five journals were identified: International Journal of Eating Disorders (ISSNs: 0276–3478, 1098-108X), European Eating Disorders Review (ISSNs: 1072–4133, 1099–0968), Eating Disorders (ISSNs: 1064–0266, 1532-530X), Eating and Weight Disorders (ISSNs: 1124–4909, 1590–1262), and Journal of Eating Disorders (ISSN: 2050-2974). The official website of each journal was then visited to confirm that the scope of the journal specifically includes the publication of research articles on eating disorders. It should be noted that the journal Advances in Eating Disorders (ISSNs: 2166–2630, 2166–2649) was not included because it was not found in SJR, it was published only between 2013 and 2016, it was incorporated into the journal Eating Disorders , and by the time of writing this article, it was not indexed neither in Scopus ( https://www.scopus.com ) nor in Web of Science ( https://www.webofknowledge.com ).

Next, also in May 2020, the Scopus database was chosen to retrieve the document records from the aforementioned journals. The election was made for no other reason than the capability of Scopus to retrieve several structured information (metadata, such as the abstract), and the file types for download are easy to manage, such as comma-separated values (CSV). Therefore, all document records published by these journals were searched in Scopus using the ISSN as the search term (e.g., ISSN (0276–3478) OR ISSN (02763478) OR ISSN (1098-108X) OR ISSN (1098108X) ). A total of 8651 documents between 1981 and 2020 were retrieved (of which 7899 had an abstract): 4185 (48.38%) from the International Journal of Eating Disorders, 1540 (17.80%) from Eating and Weight Disorders, 1461 (16.88%) from the European Eating Disorders Review, 1072 (12.39%) from Eating Disorders, and 393 (4.54%) from the Journal of Eating Disorders. These 8651 documents included a total of 213,744 references. It should be noted that the International Journal of Eating Disorders is the oldest of these journals, established in 1981. The S7 and S8 Files provide the number of documents per year and per journal. The document records were downloaded from Scopus both as comma separated values (CSV) and as BibTex ( http://www.bibtex.org/ ), and selecting all fields available (i.e., title, author, abstract, etc.). Due to copyright, the full text of all documents was not retrieved but rather their metadata (i.e, title, author, date, abstract), whilst the dataset shared online ( https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/5YZVD ) is the one obtained after the preprocessing procedures detailed below.

Analyses were performed using open software: R Statistical Software 4.0.3 (Bunny-Wunnies Freak Out) [ 65 ], and Python programming language version 3.9.1 ( https://www.python.org/ ).

Bibliometric analysis and network analysis in R

The biblioshiny application from the R package bibliometrix [ 66 ] was used to preprocess the CSV file. Next, it was used to identify the most cited documents. Local citations (i.e., citations only from documents whithin the dataset), and global citations (i.e., citations made by any document from the whole Scopus database), were computed. Biblioshiny was also used for network analysis as described by Batagelj & Cerinšek [ 67 ], and Aria & Cuccurullo [ 66 ]. Regarding the network, it is defined as a pair of sets: a set of nodes or vertices and a set of edges (link between nodes) [ 68 ]. In this study, when authors were treated as nodes, a link would represent co-authorship or collaboration [see 69 ]. More precisely, the Louvain algorithm for community detection [ 70 ] was used to identify communities within the collaboration network. This algorithm identifies densely connected nodes within the network (i.e., communities) [e.g., 71 ]. It works unconstrained to automatically extract a number of clusters although it requires basic network parameters as input. These network parameters were: up to 100 nodes, a minimum of two edges by node, and the removal of isolated nodes. For network layout visualization, the Fruchterman & Reingold [ 72 ] algorithm was chosen. Finally, common centrality measures were calculated: betweenness, closeness, and PageRank. Betweenness centrality refers to “the frequency that a node is located in the shortest path between other nodes” [ 73 , p. 772]. Closeness centrality refers to nodes that can easily reach others in the network, whilst PageRank , originally created to rank websites [ 74 ], has been used to rank authors because it takes into account the weight of influential nodes [ 75 ].

Topic modeling: Dimensionality reduction and matrix factorization

As can be seen in the workflow ( Fig 1 ), once network analysis was finished, a series of steps (detailed in S5 File ) were necessary to preprocess the dataset prior to topic modeling. Topic modeling refers to applying machine learning techniques to find topics by extracting semantic information from unstructured text in a corpus [ 76 ]. As we explain in S5 File , to this point we end up with a high-dimensional and sparse document-term matrix. In other words, we have many features (columns) each corresponding to a term in our corpus, and for a given document (rows) we have many columns with zero values meaning the term of that column is not in the given document. To deal with sparsity, we can perform dimensionality reduction to obtain a representation that effectively captures the variability in the data. In summary, dimensionality reduction can be categorized in feature extraction and feature selection ; the former combines the original feature space into a new one, whereas the latter selects a subset of features [ 77 ].

As explained in S5 File , the term frequency (TF) and the term frequency-inverse document frequency (TF-IDF) were used as feature extraction for vectorization. Then, the following machine learning algorithms were applied for topic modeling: Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) [ 78 ], Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA or Latent Semantic Indexing) [ 79 ], Hierarchical Dirichlet Process (HDP) [ 80 ], and Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) [ 81 ]. LDA is a generative probabilistic model that decomposes the document-term matrix into a topic-term matrix and a document-topic matrix, and it is commonly used for topic discovering from a corpus [e.g., 82 ]. LSA utilizes a truncated Singular Value Decomposition for decomposition and can work efficiently on TF or TF-IDF sparse matrices. In a fully unsupervised framework, the HDP model is characterized by inferring the number of topics on its own. Finally, NMF is an alternative approach that implements the Nonnegative Double Singular Value Decomposition, an algorithm suitable for sparse factorization [ 83 ].

First, the GENSIM library [ 84 ] was used for topic modeling because it provides a way to calculate topic coherence , an index to compare models based on measures of segmentation, probability estimation, confirmation measure, and aggregation [see 85 ]. Therefore, based on a TF matrix, HDP, LSA, NMF, and LDA were performed in GENSIM and compared in topic coherence. Once identified the topic modeling algorithms with the highest topic coherence, scikit-learn [ 86 ] was used because it provides an Exhaustive Grid Search option for ensemble learning the models (i.e., automatically fine-tuning the parameters to find the most optimal). Finally, once the topics were extracted, a simple time series analysis was performed to visualize the changes over time in the topics found. This analysis consisted of simply plotting the number of documents for each topic across years, from 1981 to 2020.

First, bibliometric analyses were performed to identify the most cited documents. Local citations are presented in Table 1 (and the S1 File ), whereas global citations are in Table 2 (and the S2 File ).

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278981.t001

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278981.t002

Next, a network analysis was performed to identify the most important authors ( Table 3 ) and their collaboration networks ( Fig 2 , see also S3 File , a dataset, and S4 File , an interactive visualization in HTML and JavaScript, also available online: https://osf.io/5yzvd/ ). This collaboration network analysis identified eight clusters with 96 authors: (1) red color, 4 authors; (2) blue, 15 authors; (3) green, 17 authors; (4) purple 21 authors; (5) orange, 2 authors; (6) brown, 18 authors; (7) pink, 2 authors; (8) grey, 17 authors.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278981.g002

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278981.t003

Regarding the most relevant topics, LDA and NMF were superior to HDP and LSA in topic coherence. Then, when ensemble learning was used for LDA (based on TF) and NMF (based on TF-IDF), NMF provided the most meaningful results, and 10 topics were identified ( Table 4 ).

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278981.t004

The labels for the topics were manually added based on the top 10 keywords and their respective weights. Thus, each topic was manually labeled as follows: (1) risk factors for eating disorders, (2) body image dissatisfaction, (3) Binge Eating Disorder diagnosis, (4) weight loss, weight control, and diet, (5) clinical groups, (6) treatment outcome, (7) family and parent-child, (8) binge and purge episodes, (9) gender and subgroups, (10) EDNOS.

To examine how these topics have evolved over time, a simple time series analysis plot was created ( Fig 3 and S6 File ).

Note . Values in the y-axis are the sum of the weight values from the NMF analysis for topic dominance, per year and per topic. Values go from minimum 0 to maximum 11.2 (see S6 File ).

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278981.g003

This study analyzed 8651 documents between 1981 and 2020 from domain-specific journals in the field of eating disorders. The aims were: to identify the most cited documents, the most important authors and their collaboration networks, and the most relevant topics and their evolution over time. The results expand previous findings of studies that employed a query-based approach and included articles dating back as far as 1900 [ 13 ]. In particular the results expand the studies by Jinbo He et al. (2022) and Juan-Carlos Valderrama-Zurián, et al. (2017), which employed a similar methodology [ 1 , 2 ]. For example, He et al. (2022) created a collaboration network, although it was based on countries rather than authors [ 1 ]. Therefore, the results obtained here (e.g., author centrality measures, author clusters) provide a more fine grained understanding of the relevance and contribution of individual authors and their collaboration networks. Furthermore, He et al. (2022) [ 1 ] identified top authors based on traditional performance metrics (e.g., h-index), and it should be noted that there is some criticism towards their use and a claim to shift towards more responsible metrics of research excellence [ 87 ]. Then, He et al. (2022) [ 1 ] employed LDA for topic modeling, whilst this study employed NMF. Although LDA is largely used, in this study NMF outperformed LDA in interpretability, reproducibility, and as we said above, it suits better for short texts, as is the case of article abstracts used here. Finally, the top journals identified by He et al. (2022) confirmed that the five journals selected for this study are in fact among the most important in the field of eating disorders [ 1 ]. In the case of Valderrama-Zurián, et al. (2017) [ 2 ], they also focused on authors’ productivity trends whereas their social network analysis was focused on network metrics such as the number of nodes and edges over time, which precludes to inspect the social network at the author level. Therefore, this study also expands on the findings of Valderrama-Zurián, et al. (2017) [ 2 ].

Below, we discuss in more detail the results of the analysis employed to answer the four research questions outlined in the introduction.

Bibliometric analysis

The top cited documents were all from the International Journal of Eating Disorders. As noted above, this journal is the oldest one (it started in 1981), and it has the largest number of articles per year, with the exception of the year 2019 when it was outperformed by the Eating and Weight Disorders journal (see S7 and S8 Files). The majority of top cited documents were related to the development of instruments for the assessment of eating disorders or the course and outcome of eating disorders. For example, we can see in the results the most common instruments used for the screening of eating disorders, as well as the evaluation of its core symptoms: Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI), Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ), and Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q). These instruments are widely used to screen the general population, as well as in clinical settings, together with more recent instruments [ 88 ]. It should be noted, however, that in clinical practice settings the use of instruments for the diagnosis and the different phases of the treatment process is not necessarily widespread [ 89 , 90 ]. To reduce this gap, some authors suggest to provide assessment training and/or assessment guidelines for mental health professionals and general practitioners in primary health care [ 91 , 92 ]. This can help obtain a comprehensive clinical assessment, particularly of individuals with higher risk such as young adolescents with restrictive Anorexia Nervosa [ 93 ]. The instruments mentioned above are reliable measures, and they could be used online for a quick screening or session by session for ongoing monitoring, although further research is necessary [e.g., 94 – 96 ].

The rest of most cited documents include important review articles on epidemiology (Hoek & van Hoeken, 2003, in Table 1 ); the course and outcome of eating disorders (Berkman, Lohr & Bulik, 2007; Strober, Freeman & Morrell, 1997; in Table 1 ); and the diagnosis of Binge Eating Disorder (Spitzer et al., 1992, 1993, in Table 1 ). These results are similar to previous studies in which measurement methods (including instrument development), epidemiology, and review articles were the most common type of document [ 8 , 9 ].

Finally, the large number of articles on the diagnosis of Binge Eating Disorder, which was not fully recognized as a mental disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) until its fifth edition [ 4 ], reveal that the recognition of Binge Eating Disorder as an own disorder took several years. To reach expert consensus in a shorter time, eating disorder professionals should pay special attention to emerging eating problems, such as Orthorexia Nervosa [ 97 ].

Network analysis

The network analysis identified eight clusters with 96 authors. Previous studies have examined the network of authors in the field in terms of network statistics such as number of edges or network density [ 2 ]. By contrast, this study provides a more fine-grained network analysis, identifying experts and group of experts in the field of eating disorders. As seen in the results section, the majority are distinguished authors with contributions dating back to the early 1980s.

The author with the largest betweenness centrality was Ross D Crosby (Sanford Center for Biobehavioral Research, United States), followed by James E Mitchell (University of North Dakota, United States) which has the largest value in PageRank. Authors with high betweenness centrality can act as both enablers and gatekeepers of information flow between communities [ 75 ]. Moreover, it has been found that authors with high betweenness centrality establish more collaborations than those high in closeness centrality [ 75 ]. In summary, the results of centrality measures can help to identify experts in the field of eating disorders, particularly authors that can quickly reach other authors in the network (high in closeness), act as gatekeepers (high in betweenness), or relate to influential others (high in PageRank).

Regarding the clusters identified by the network analysis, in the same cluster of Ross D Crosby and James E Mitchell are found other renowned authors like Daniel Le Grange (University of California, San Francisco, United States), Stephen A Wonderlich (Sanford Center for Biobehavioral Research, United States), and Carol B Peterson (University of Minnesota, United States). Among the most relevant results of collaboration of this cluster we can find studies on the ecological momentary assessment of eating disorders [ 98 ], the psychometric properties of the EDE-Q [ 99 ], and the diagnosis of Binge Eating Disorder [ 100 ].

The second largest cluster includes authors like Cynthia M Bulik (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States), Walter H Kaye (University of California, San Diego, United States), and Katherine A Halmi (Weill Cornell Medical College, United States). The results of their collaboration include studies related to the phenotypic characterization of eating disorders, such as the International Price Foundation Genetic Study, a multisite study that included a large sample of patients with eating disorders and their families [e.g., 101 ].

Finally, the third largest cluster includes authors like Janet Treasure (King’s College London, England), Ulrike Schmidt (King’s College London, England), and Tracey D Wade (Flinders University, Australia), which are widely recognized by the Maudsley Model for Treatment of Adults with Anorexia Nervosa (MANTRA) [ 102 , 103 ]. Interestingly, this is the only cluster that includes collaborations with authors from non-English speaking countries, more specifically from Spain. Examples of these collaborations include studies resulting from the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium 3 (WTCCC3) and the Genetic Consortium for AN (GCAN) [ 104 ], and other studies with clinical samples in Spain [e.g., 105 ].

On the other hand, the results reveal the importance of multisite studies that strengthen collaboration and originate in relevant outcomes for the prevention and treatment of eating disorders. Research groups could look for opportunities to collaborate in multisite studies and strengthen both their interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaboration, and their collaboration with less common partners such as stakeholders and policy makers [ 106 , 107 ]. By establishing these integrative and strategic collaborations we can promote translational research, and thus helping to reach broader public health goals [ 108 ].

Topic modeling

The combination of TF-IDF and NMF provided meaningful results, identifying 10 topics. After labeling these topics based on the first 10 keywords and their respective weights, we can see that most of the research on eating disorders done in the past 40 years has focused on their prevention and treatment. Interestingly, the time trend analysis of these topics revealed a noticeable change in the first lustrum of the 1990s. Whereas during the early 1980s the study of clinical groups (topic 5) was the most dominant topic, from the mid-1990s, this topic was surpassed by the study of risk factors of eating disorders (topic 1). This indicates an increasing interest for the prevention rather than solely the treatment of eating disorders. This result is consistent with the historical shift that occurred in the United States when in 1992 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee on Prevention of Mental Disorders was created [ 109 ]. Then two years later, a report on reducing risk factors for mental disorders and promoting a preventive approach in research was published [ 110 ]. As expected, this shift had echo in several scholars at the time, became a research front, and relevant publications started to include more information on the prevention of eating disorders, including a special issue [ 111 ], book chapters [ 112 ], and progressively entire books [ 113 ]. It is important to note that this historical shift, as well as later others like in 2017 [ 114 ], were favorable, because in other cases like obesity, it took more time to focus on its prevention due to different issues, including the pressure of the weight loss industry and its commercial interest [ 115 ].

Another interesting finding was that the outcome of the treatment of eating disorders (topic 6), is the second most important topic of 2013, and this finding has important aspects to discuss. First, the surge of state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms provide several opportunities to build intelligent systems for precision medicine. Thus, the treatment course and outcome of eating disorders can be more personalized, guided, and enhanced with the help of predictive technologies and intelligent systems [e.g., 116 ]. Second, as suggested elsewhere [ 117 ], the advantages of technology can be particularly relevant for certain age groups like adolescents, and when a digital intervention is employed [ 118 ]. In summary, treatment outcome is currently an important topic, and future studies can deploy digital interventions and machine learning algorithms for a more precise treatment planning.

Limitations and conclusions

Although this study has strengths, such as using data and code that allows the reproducibility of the results, readers should consider some limitations. First, the analysis of most cited documents is for all the time span, and more recent highly cited documents are underrepresented. Moreover, the journal Advances in Eating Disorders was not included due to indexing issues. Nevertheless, this study provides the code and a detailed procedure to allow researcher to perform further analyses, such as document co-citation analysis. Future studies can also evaluate the Mexican Journal of Eating Disorders ( Revista Mexicana de Trastornos Alimentarios , ISSN 2007-1523), which has published articles primarily in Spanish [ 119 ]. Second, the network analysis included close to 100 scholars mostly with a long trajectory in the field, and this can be a limitation in representing more younger scientists or newcomers [ 2 ]. Future studies can focus on a larger number of scholars and apply different techniques in network analysis, such as other community detection techniques [e.g., 120 ]. Finally, the results of topic modeling suggested a solution of 10 topics out of up to 30 topics solution models tested. Although there is not a universally accepted approach to establish the number of topics, this study relied on several strategies, including ensemble learning, to automatically fine-tune the parameters of the machine learning algorithms, stability, and heuristic approaches [ 121 ]. Future studies can try other machine learning algorithms and techniques to retrieve topics [ 121 ].

In conclusion, this study analyzed 40 years of research on eating disorders, identified the most cited articles, networks of collaboration, experts in the field, and the 10 major topics in the field.

Supporting information

S1 file. most local cited documents..

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278981.s001

S2 File. Most global cited documents.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278981.s002

S3 File. Network statistics.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278981.s003

S4 File. Network of collaboration including close to one hundred authors.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278981.s004

S5 File. Data preprocessing and text representation in Python.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278981.s005

S6 File. Sum of NMF results for topic dominance per year and per topic.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278981.s006

S7 File. Number of documents per year and per journal.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278981.s007

S8 File. Trends over time in number of documents per journal.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278981.s008

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List of 122 Eating Disorder Research Topics

Are you looking for some eating disorder research topics that you can use as your own? Of course, you are! Otherwise, why would you be reading this blog post? Well, the good news is that we have just what you are looking for right here on this page.

No, you don’t have to download anything. You don’t have to pay anything either. All our 122 eating disorder research topics are free to use as you see fit. We have just finished updating the list, so you can find unique topics that are entirely original. Nobody in your class has probably found them, so you’re safe.

Best Eating Disorder Research Topics on the Internet

Every student should focus on studying or learning for his terms or exams. However, hunting for eating disorder research topics can take hours – if not days. You probably don’t have so much free time on your hands. This is why, if you need to write an eating disorders research paper, you should first visit our blog. You will find that our topics are the best on the Internet. Also, here is what you get if you visit our page periodically:

Our list of topics is updated relatively frequently, so you will probably be able to get an original topic right here in just a couple of minutes. All our topics are relatively easy to write about. You can find plenty of information online about 99% of these topics. You will never have to pay anything to get topics. They are all free. You are also free to reword them to suit your needs. You can get a list of new topics from our expert writers if you can’t find what you are looking for on this page.

So, let’s take a look at our list of the latest and most interesting eating disorder research topics.

Anorexia Research Paper Ideas

Talking about anorexia may not be the easiest thing in the world, but we have some anorexia research paper ideas that are not that complicated right here:

What causes anorexia in children?
The 3 most effective anorexia nervosa treatments
How do affected people perceive their anorexia?
Physical effects of anorexia nervosa
Psychological effects of anorexia
The ethics behind the nasogastric tube treatment
The link between anorexia and infertility
The link between osteoporosis
The link between anorexia and heart damage
Cultural factors that influence the occurrence of anorexia
Does anorexia cause depression?
Anorexia nervosa in evolutionary psychiatry

Eating Disorders Research Paper Topics

Have you been asked by your professor to write a research paper on an eating disorder or related subject? Check out these unique eating disorders research paper topics:

Best screening tools for eating disorders
Compare and contrast 2 eating disorders
Discuss eating disorders to social media
A short history of eating disorders
How can one achieve body positivity?
Most interesting myths about eating disorders
Differences between bulimia and anorexia
What causes the relapse of eating disorders?
The epidemic of anorexia in the United States
Mass media’s effect on body image in the UK
Gender role in eating disorders

Children Eating Disorders

We can guarantee that if you write about children eating disorders, you will capture the attention of your professor from the first two sentences. Give these topics a try:

Self-injury in children with anorexia
Occurrence of bulimia nervosa in adolescents
Treating autistic children with anorexia
What causes eating disorders among children in the US?
Correcting children’s eating disorders in the United Kingdom
Preventing relapses in young children
The developmental psychology behind eating disorders
Mental development problems in children with anorexia
Successful parenting to prevent the occurrence of anorexia
Television and its effects on self-esteem
The link between fat-shaming and anorexia

Binge Eating Disorder Topics

Yes, binge eating is a very serious eating disorder. So why now write an essay about it? Check out these interesting binge eating disorder topics and pick the one you like:

The social problems associated with binge eating
The psychological problems caused by binge eating
Physical issues caused by the binge eating disorder
Differences between binge eating and bulimia
Differences between binge eating and anorexia nervosa
Prevalence of binge eating in healthy adults in the US
Underreporting problems in the male population
Benefits of counseling
Surgery affects on binge eating
Best lifestyle interventions in cases of binge eating
Effective medication against binge eating disorders

Eating Disorder Topics for College

If you are a college student, you need a more complex topic to win a top grade. Take a look at these great eating disorder topics for college and take your pick:

Household income effects on bulimia incidence
The accuracy of the Eating Disorder Examination
Effects of anorexia on the reproductive system
An in-depth analysis of the refeeding syndrome
Using hypnotherapy to treat bulimia nervosa
The effect of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor on binge eating
Using olanzapine in anorexia nervosa cases
Cognitive-behavioral therapy for binge eating
The mortality rate of anorexia nervosa patients
The effects of fluoxetine on bulimia nervosa patients
The role of antidepressants in treating bulimia

Complex Eating Disorder Research Topics

If you want to impress your professor and awe your classmates, you may need to consider picking a topic from our list of complex eating disorder research topics below:

Discuss physical morbidity caused by eating disorders
The first documented case of anorexia nervosa
An in-depth look at eating disorder psychosocial morbidity
Binge eating in the Roman society
Effective methods for eating recovery
Sports effects on the occurrence of bulimia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa in the 18th century
Analyze the accuracy of the Anorectic Behavior Observation Scale
An in-depth look at evolutionary psychiatry
Topiramate and zonisamide for treating binge eating
Using anti-obesity medications for bulimia and binge eating

Bulimia Nervosa Essay Topics

Of course, you can write an essay about bulimia nervosa or something related to it. Let’s help you with some bulimia nervosa essay topics:

5 lesser-known facts about bulimia
Famous people who had bulimia
The psychological consequences of bulimia
Physical effects of bulimia nervosa
Gender’s role in the bulimia nervosa disorder
Effective methods to diagnose bulimia
Effective treatments against bulimia nervosa
First symptoms of bulimia
Incidence of bulimia cases among children in the US
Can willpower alone treat bulimia nervosa?

Eating Disorder Research Topics in Nursing

If you are a nursing student (or are attending a nursing class), you may find these eating disorder research topics in nursing highly interesting:

Nursing’s role in eating disorder recovery
Discuss nursing best practices when dealing with anorexia
Nursing techniques for patients with bulimia
Treating the symptoms of anorexia nervosa effectively

Treatments for Eating Disorders

Your professor will surely appreciate you taking the time to research various treatments for eating disorders. You may get some bonus points if you use one of these topics:

The best treatment for bulimia nervosa
A universal treatment for all eating disorders
Medications that are effective against the binge eating disorder
Talk about the use of hypnosis to treat eating disorders
Discuss the cure rate for anorexia nervosa

Anorexia Nervosa Research Paper Topics

Did you run out of ideas for your eating disorder research paper? No problem, just check out the following anorexia nervosa research paper topics and pick the one you like:

First symptoms and manifestations of anorexia nervosa
Is anorexia nervosa contagious?
Genetic transmission of the anorexia nervosa disorder
Risk factors that influence anorexia nervosa in the United States
Effective medication for the anorexia nervosa disorder

Gender Issues and Eating Disorders

Yes, there are many gender issues that you can talk about when it comes to eating disorders. We have an entire list of gender issues and eating disorders ideas right here for you:

The gender with the highest rates of eating disorders
Men and their struggle with anorexia nervosa
Gender issues that make diagnosis difficult
Mortality rates of eating disorders by gender
Stereotypes related to eating disorders

Easy Eating Disorder Research Topics

These easy eating disorder research topics are for students who don’t want to spend days doing the research and writing the essay:

What causes bulimia?
Psychiatric help for eating disorder patients
Effective medications that prevent anorexia episodes
What causes anorexia nervosa?
How can the binge eating disorder be treated effectively?
Psychological problems caused by eating disorders

Controversial Eating Disorder Research Topics

Take a look at some controversial eating disorder research topics and pick one. Probably nobody in your school has even thought about writing a paper on any of these ideas:

Anorexia Nervosa portrayal in the media in the United States
Forced therapy in eating disorders in Eastern Europe
Negative social media effects on the treatment of eating disorders
False positives when diagnosing people with eating disorders
Palliative care for people with anorexia and co-morbidities

Eating Disorder Topics for High School

If you are a high school student, you will be thrilled to learn that we have some very simple topics about eating disorders. Check out our list of eating disorder topics for high school students:

An in-depth analysis of anorexia nervosa
The history of binge eating in the United States
Effective treatment options for bulimia nervosa
The best way to diagnose an eating disorder
The role of the family in treating eating disorders
Dangerous medications used to treat eating disorders

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The evolving profile of eating disorders and their treatment in a changing and globalised world

Affiliations.

1 Centre for Research in Eating and Weight Disorders, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK; South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. Electronic address: [email protected].
2 Centre for Research in Eating and Weight Disorders, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK.
3 Center for Eating and Feeding Disorders Research, Mental Health Center Ballerup, Copenhagen University Hospital-Mental Health Services CPH, Copenhagen, Denmark; Institute of Biological Psychiatry, Mental Health Center Sct. Hans, Mental Health Services Copenhagen, Roskilde, Denmark.
4 Psychiatry Department, St Paul Hospital Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
5 Centre for Research in Eating and Weight Disorders, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK; South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
PMID: 38705161
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00874-2

Publications
Published Papers, 2024

Published Papers by year

Walter Kaye and the UCSD Eating Disorders Research team have published over 250 papers on the neurobiology of eating disorders. These publications include behavioral, treatment, and cognitive neuroscience studies that have improved understanding of the clinical presentation, genetics, neurotransmitter systems, and neural substrates involved in appetite dysregulation and disordered eating. These studies are guiding the development of more effective, neurobiologically informed interventions.

Change in motivational bias during treatment predicts outcome in anorexia nervosa
Sophie R. Abber MS, Susan M. Murray PhD, Carina S. Brown MS, Christina E. Wierenga PhD
doi: 10.1002/eat.24156. Epub 2024 February 01.
Wiley Online Library
The acceptability, feasibility, and possible benefits of a neurobiologically-informed 5-day multifamily treatment for adults with anorexia nervosa
Christina E. Wierenga, Laura Hill, Stephanie Knatz Peck, Jason McCray, Laura Greathouse, Danika Peterson, Amber Scott, Ivan Eisler, Walter H. Kaye
oi: 10.1002/eat.22876. Epub 2018 May 2.
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154 In Depth Eating Disorder Research Topics For Your Dissertation

Before you get started on potential eating disorder thesis or dissertation ideas, you should first know what eating disorder means. Eating disorder is a behavioral condition that patterns consistent uneasiness when it comes to eating.

It is associated with uncomfortable thoughts and emotions and it could affect the physiological, psychological, and social function of the body. Eating disorders cut across bulimia, avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, binge eating disorder, anorexia nervosa, and many other areas. Writing a comprehensive eating disorder thesis or dissertation requires dissecting any of these types of eating disorders.

Characteristics Of A Good Thesis Research Paper

Before your eating disorder thesis paper can be termed perfect for your essay or research study, these are the necessary things that must be present in the paper.

Top-Notch Research: Your work will cover real-life data and examples which must be true. Researching is a rigorous effort that could get you discouraged. However, you must focus on providing a comprehensive and reliable paper for future references. You must also be knowledgeable to embody basic features which you’ll need to show that you’re a skilled researcher.
Accurate Analysis: When you analyze an existing literature, ensure to achieve accuracy. You will need to establish hypotheses but you must reference authority literature to back them up. When your facts are wrong, they could disapprove of everything you’ve written in your paper. Thus, you must review all you write to ensure that you’re still on the right path.
Clear and Precise: You want to communicate with people, not flex your vocabulary prowess. If you want to achieve clarity, write in simple language. You should also consider adding only relevant details to your paper. This will help you avoid unnecessary detailing and explanation of scientific terms.
Original and Coherent: While your paper can contain studies from other authors, you must ensure that you credit them. You must also ensure that you input your thoughts into what you write. Doing this makes you possess the good qualities of a trustworthy and reliable researcher. You must not compromise on originality, and you must also be coherent with your writing.

All these will help you create a detailed and well-constructed research paper on eating disorders.

Research Questions About Eating Disorders

As you already know, eating disorders are behavioral challenges when it comes to feeding. It manifests in different ways and it affects people.

To create interesting research on eating disorders, you may need research questions about eating disorders. Questions to consider include:

What does eating disorder mean professionally?
What is the rate at which eating disorders occur to people?
What are the main factors leading to eating disorders?
Does an individual personality trait has any influence on the person’s eating disorder?
How does individual personality trait affect eating disorders?
Examining anorexia nervosa and bulimia: what are the basic differences?
What is the treatment for people suffering from eating disorders?
How do eating disorders manifest amongst people?
What is the leading treatment to solve the challenge of eating disorders?
What is the most effective potentiality of recovery?
Are there any factors that determine recovery potentiality and rate?
Would it be better to address the symptoms over the problems of eating disorders?
Would it be effective to offer treatments rather than provide advice to manage them?
Does treatment for eating disorders mean therapy?
What are the risks patients might face?
What are the guidelines for health officials on eating disorders?

Eating Disorders Research Paper

As a student of research, exercising your writing abilities is one of the requirements for graduate certification. Your professors and teachers at university and college want to know what you can produce.

These are significant current eating disorder research topics that can aid in identifying the issues to target in today’s world:

Evaluate the factors leading to bulimia amongst teenagers
Examine the means to prevent and correct anorexia nervosa amongst teenagers
Discuss why the diagnosis of anorexia is significant amongst youngsters
Evaluate the mental consequence of bulimia amongst kids
Examine the physical Influence of bulimia amongst kids
Observe bulimia from the position of a psychologist
Examine the significance of parents in helping prevent eating disorders
Examine the category of children who are susceptible to anorexia nervosa and bulimia
Examine the long-term consequence of anorexia and bulimia on kids
Examine the Influence of society and family with kids overwhelmed by eating disorders
Discuss how anorexia and bulimia will affect the social lifestyle of kids
Examine how anorexia nervosa and bulimia will influence the emotions and attitudes of kids towards others
Examine how TV shows and other public communication networks can help change children’s disorders
Examine the fundamental basis of eating disorders amongst people
Discuss the possibilities of eating disorders amongst private school students that public schools
Examine the events of self-injurious in the lens of eating disorders
Discuss the major things that help in curbing eating disorders
Examine any five pieces of literature related to the eating disorder and their relevance to current discussions
Examine various standpoints of different scholars on their subject as well their significance
Discuss the role of intimidation in worsening eating disorder conditions
Examine a calorie program to know the effect of eating disorders on children’s weight
Research to know the statistics of those affected by stunted eating culture
Discuss how sleeping disorder connects with eating disorders
Examine the core biological features of a sleeping disorder and compare it with an eating disorder
Critically discuss Night Eating Syndrome (NES)
Does eating disorder less to substance abuse? Discuss
Discuss whether stopping addictive habits will help with eating disorders
Examine is vegetarianism has a role to play in eating disorder
Examine how the tension in sport could lead to eating disorders
Would you say that hereditary factors are considerations for eating disorders?
Discuss the importance of body fat to eating disorder
Examine the effects of eating contemplation on eating disorders
Discuss how sex abuse connects with eating disorders
Examine the major hunger drive leading to eating disorders
Does the lack of required food lead to eating disorders: discuss
Examine the influence of obesity patterning o eating disorder
Listen to the story of any victim and analyze what caused their eating disorder
Discuss the way experiences and thought can shape eating desires.

Research Topics On Eating Disorders

For your undergraduate or college research, you can pursue in-depth research into eating disorders. Eating disorders could be considered biological and psychological issues.

You can consider the following research topics in eating disorders:

Examine how the symptoms of anorexia and bulimia overlap
Discuss the basic psychological makeup of eating disorder
Discuss the pursuit of perfectionism and how it enhances a behavior of the eating disorder
Examine the need for psychotherapy to help eating disorder patients
Discuss the eating disorder by assessing the intellectual impairment of the patients
Discuss the complex nature of eating disorders leading to suicide amongst kids
Examine the high risk of suicide rate amongst those with bulimia and anorexia and why
Discuss the variations interconnected with anorexia therapy
Would you say unhappiness and physical shame about the body worsens bulimia and anorexia?
Would you say their disappointment and discontent about other things lead to anorexia and bulimia?
Critically examine Nasser, Katzman, and Gordon’s ‘Eating Disorders: People in Transition’
Discuss Janet’s book titled ‘Skills-Based Learning with regard to Caring for a family member with an Eating Disorder: The New Maudsley Method’ and its significance
Examine the paths to healing as established by Alexander Lucas in ‘Demystifying Boeing underweight Nervosa: An Optimistic Guide to Knowledge and Healing’
Observe the perspectives of Sharlene and how thinness affects eating disorders in ‘Am I Thin A Sufficient Amount of Yet? The very cult associated with thinness and also the Commercialization for Identity’
Discuss Carrie Arnold’s ‘Decoding Anorexia’
Critically discuss A.M. Logue’s ‘The Mindset of Taking and Drinking’
Examine how obesity contributes to eating disorders as noted in Linda Smolak et al’s ‘Body Photo, Eating Disorders, in addition to Obesity around Youth: Analysis, Prevention, and also Treatment’
Discuss the importance of diagnosis to the condition through the lens of Kevin Thompson et al’s ‘Exacting Splendor: Theory, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Body Image Disturbance’
Evaluate how subconscious features of bulimia and anorexia develop amongst girls
Discuss the main features of anorexia amongst female athletes
Examine the factors that could hinder recovery
Discuss why women of any age are more prone to eating disorders than men
Discuss the odds of eating disorder through the epidermis
Examine the symptoms of bulimia and anorexia amongst men
Evaluate the symptoms of anorexia and bulimia amongst women
Do you think diagnosis for anorexia are often underrated?
Discuss the factors that shape the future of a patient’s eating disorder
After identifying the disorder, what do most patients do?
Examine the connection of disinterest in sex to eating disorders
Does eating disorder affect any group of people more?
Examine the consequences of eating disorders on the LGBTQ community
Examine the major differences in eating disorders amongst male and female military personnel
How do anorexia and bulimia affect women libido?
Examine the design models and risks of eating disorders
Discuss the process of medical diagnosis
Examine possible solutions to eating disorders
Discuss the risks of eating disorders
Choose any three lifestyles and examine how eating disorders would affect patients with such lifestyle
Examine the tactics patients use to evade therapy
Do you think the work on decoding eating disorders is done?

Thesis About Eating Disorders

Systems of treating eating disorders could be considered controversial but interesting submissions from doctors and officials about eating disorders could be helpful in your research. Consider the following custom ideas and expand them in your thesis statement or research:

Discuss with three doctors within your institution and know their take on eating disorder
Speak with three doctors outside your Institution and know their take on eating disorders
Identify the influence on dieting on eating disorder
Identify the influence of weight loss on eating disorders
Discuss the influence of eating disorders on academics
Discuss the treatments of Ayahuasca
What are eating disorder treatment techniques based on?
What are the institutional positions on eating disorders?
Discuss the role of the family in treating eating disorders
Examine the role of friends in treating eating disorders
Discuss the significance of health insurance in eating disorder
Evaluate the issues that complicate bulimia and anorexia
Examine the factors that ruin chances of hastening to heal
Go through the medical report of any patient with bulimia and analyze it
Go through the medical report of a patient with anorexia and analyze it
Get a chance to sit in therapy with a patient with anorexia and examine their response habits
Examine the response habit of a patient with bulimia in therapy
Discuss how productive therapy sessions could be
Identify the importance of support groups for eating disorder patients
Discuss the purpose of support groups for eating disorder patients using any two examples
Does the loss of appetite connect with eating disorders?
Will eating Disorder be managed, not cured?
What are the latest scientific breakthroughs on eating disorders?
What is Virtual Reality Graded Exposure Therapy (VRGET) all about?
Examine the Influence of culture on eating disorders
Examine the influence of bullying on eating disorders
Discuss the Influence of internet threats on eating disorders
Examine how western culture react to bulimia
Discuss how western communities react to anorexia
Examine the trends of eating disorders from over 50 years
How do major ethnic groups react to eating disorders?
Discuss how publicity of eating disorder help people open up about it.

Review the following books:

Lauren Greenfield’s ‘Thin’
Jenni Schaefer’s ‘Life Without Impotence: How An individual Woman Stated Independence Right from Her Eating Disorder and How It is possible to Too’.
Marya Hornbacher’s ‘Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia nervosa and Bulimia’
Sarah Dessen’s ‘Just Listen’
Herriet Brown’s ‘Brave Girl Eating: A new Family’s Tom Anorexia’
Ellen Hopkins’ ‘Identical’
Bev Mattocks’ ‘Please Eat…: A Single Parent’s Struggle to 100 % free Her Teenage Son Through Anorexia’
Nancy Tucker’s ‘The Amount of Time in Between: A good Memoir connected with Hunger in addition to Hope’.

Eating Disorder Body Image Research Topics

Body image disorder or body dysmorphic disorder is the consistent worry over appearance. This could be obsessing over weight gain or weight loss which lead to greater health challenges.

To discuss this, you can consider these topics:

Evaluate the examples of body image challenges
Discuss the connection between body image issues and depression
Discuss the connection between anorexia and body image issues
How do body image disturbances emerge?
Examine the effects of eating habits on body image
Discuss how the concern of others affect obese people
Examine how the worry and anxiety of relatives affect thin people
Examine three records of those with body image disorder and understand the motivating factors
Discuss the motivating factors behind poor dieting
Examine the negative outcome of diets
Examine how staying hungry affect patients with eating disorders
What are the cons of disordered eating
Discuss the relationship of love in reducing negative image perception
Examine how unhealthy eating habit affects mental health
Discuss how unhealthy eating habits influence decision-making processes
How does negative body image affect teenagers?
How does negative body image affect adults?
How do parents impose negative body image on kids?
Examine the consequence of bad comments on kids with obesity
Examine the nexus between bullying and unhealthy eating habits.

Don’t Want To Do Research?

To earn top marks, you can create a high-quality paper with these eating disorder research topics. However, you can still earn your top marks by applying for thesis help from knowledgeable writers.

We are a reliable team of thesis writers with professors, teachers, and skilled researchers based online. You can hire us for your graduate, undergraduate, or college assignments and papers. Any specifications are doable for us, including a medical thesis writing service .

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Make PhD experience your own

Eating disorder symptoms are surprisingly common in people with insulin-dependent diabetes

by University of Eastern Finland

According to a recent meta-analysis conducted at the University of Eastern Finland, 1 in 4 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes aged 16 years and older also exhibit some kind of eating disorder symptoms.

In addition to typical eating disorder symptoms, such as binge eating and food restriction , insulin -dependent diabetes is also associated with insulin omission, i.e., a unique form of disordered eating where insulin doses are intentionally restricted or skipped entirely due to fears of weight gain.

"Intentional skipping or restriction of insulin doses will lead to weight loss, but this also maintains high blood glucose , throwing the management of diabetes off balance," Doctoral Researcher Pia Niemelä of the University of Eastern Finland says.

According to the meta-analysis, 1 in 5 patients reported intentional insulin omission.

Published in Eating Behaviors , the meta-analysis compiled findings from 45 previous studies. The data included a total of 11,592 individuals with insulin-dependent diabetes, of whom 2,521 exhibited eating disorder symptoms.

Eating disorder symptoms were more common in women than in men, which is an observation that has previously been made in young people as well. Age, however, was not a significant factor, as eating disorders occurred regardless of age group.

"Eating disorder symptoms are often thought to affect adolescents and young adults . However, our meta-analysis shows that adults, too, suffer from eating disorder symptoms, which is why it is important to learn to identify patients with eating disorders.

"Here in Finland, for example, we currently don't have a care pathway for patients who have both diabetes and eating disorders. Understanding the clinical picture and its prevalence is the first step in developing treatment and care pathways," Niemelä says.

Diabetics with eating disorder symptoms have a higher risk of comorbidities and complications associated with diabetes . Eating disorder symptoms are screened using various surveys, including the most commonly used DEPS-R, which in the current meta-analysis was positive in 27% of the subjects.

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The Influence of Social Media on Eating Disorders

This essay about the impact of social media on eating disorders explores the complex relationship between digital platform use and body image issues. Social media often showcases unattainable beauty standards through curated images, which can lead to unrealistic body image expectations and disordered eating behaviors. The feedback mechanisms inherent in these platforms, such as likes and comments, can exacerbate the issue by reinforcing the idea that thinner bodies garner more approval. Moreover, social media can serve as a breeding ground for harmful communities that promote extreme dieting and even glorify eating disorders. However, the essay also acknowledges the positive aspects of social media, highlighting its role in facilitating support networks and recovery communities for those struggling with eating disorders. It concludes by stressing the need for mindful engagement with social media, effective platform regulation, and the promotion of healthier, more realistic beauty and health standards.

How it works

The pervasive influence of social media on modern life can hardly be overstated, especially when considering its impact on health and well-being. Among the most concerning aspects is the potential link between social media use and the development or exacerbation of eating disorders. This connection raises significant questions about the role of digital platforms in shaping our self-perception and behaviors concerning food and body image.

Firstly, social media platforms are saturated with content that often glorifies unattainable beauty standards. Images of flawless bodies and highly curated lifestyles can be a constant presence in users’ feeds.

For many, particularly young and impressionable users, these images set unrealistic benchmarks for physical appearance. The desire to emulate these often digitally altered and selectively presented bodies can lead to destructive eating habits as individuals strive to achieve what they see online. This phenomenon is not merely speculative; research indicates a correlation between exposure to such content and body dissatisfaction, which can precipitate or worsen disordered eating behaviors.

Moreover, the interactive nature of social media can compound these effects. Features like likes, shares, and comments provide immediate feedback on posted content, often reinforcing that thinner bodies are more ‘likeable.’ For someone struggling with body image, such quantifiable approval can validate harmful behaviors. Social media not only propagates a narrow definition of beauty but also actively rewards users for conforming to this ideal. This dynamic is particularly acute on platforms that are visually oriented, such as Instagram and Snapchat, where the focus tends to be on physical appearance more than on other types of content.

Additionally, social media can influence eating disorders through the proliferation of specific communities and hashtags that glorify extreme thinness or unhealthy diet practices. These can range from seemingly innocuous “fitspiration” posts aimed at motivating individuals to lose weight or get fit, to more overt and dangerous content that promotes anorexia or bulimia as lifestyle choices rather than serious mental health conditions. While many social media platforms have policies against such harmful content, the sheer volume and the subtlety of how it’s often presented can make it difficult to regulate effectively.

However, it’s important to recognize that social media can also play a positive role. There are numerous support networks and recovery communities across these platforms that provide encouragement, share recovery stories, and offer resources to those struggling with eating disorders. When used mindfully, social media can be a source of support and motivation for recovery, demonstrating that the impact of these platforms is not universally negative.

In conclusion, while social media offers unprecedented opportunities for connection and engagement, its impact on eating disorders is a complex issue that warrants careful consideration. The platforms can perpetuate harmful beauty standards and behaviors, yet they also offer spaces for support and recovery. Understanding and mitigating the risks associated with social media use, particularly among vulnerable populations, is crucial. This requires a concerted effort from platform operators, healthcare professionals, and users themselves to cultivate a healthier, more supportive online environment. As we navigate this ever-evolving digital landscape, fostering awareness and promoting healthy, realistic standards of beauty and health remains a critical challenge.

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The Influence of Social Media on Eating Disorders. (2024, May 01). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/the-influence-of-social-media-on-eating-disorders/

"The Influence of Social Media on Eating Disorders." PapersOwl.com , 1 May 2024, https://papersowl.com/examples/the-influence-of-social-media-on-eating-disorders/

PapersOwl.com. (2024). The Influence of Social Media on Eating Disorders . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/the-influence-of-social-media-on-eating-disorders/ [Accessed: 12 May. 2024]

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Eating the way we do hurts us and the planet, Canadian study finds

by Frédérique Mazerolle, McGill University

In an age of abundance and variety in food options, are Canadians eating better than they were half a century ago? According to a recent paper by researchers at McGill University and the International Food Policy Research Institute, those relying on Canada's food supply for their dietary needs not only face deficiencies in healthier alternatives but also contribute to the disproportionate levels of environmental degradation caused by Canadian agricultural and food distribution policies.

In a study spanning close to 60 years, the researchers delved into the intricacies of Canada's food supply, juxtaposing it against the Canada Food Guide and the globally recognized EAT-Lancet dietary recommendations. This comprehensive analysis sheds light on a significant yet often overlooked aspect of daily life: the correlation between what a country produces and consumes and its consequent impact on health and the environment.

Alarming impacts of imbalanced diets

"One of the study's most striking findings is the evident imbalance in the Canadian food supply. There's a conspicuous overabundance of red meat and sugar, products that have long been associated with various health issues when consumed in excess. Conversely, there's a notable deficiency in healthier alternatives like nuts, legumes, and vegetables," says Vincent Abe-Inge, Ph.D. student in McGill's Department of Bioresource Engineering and lead author of the study.

The researchers are also ringing the alarm on the environmental impacts related to this imbalance. Specifically, the study highlights that animal-based foods, despite constituting a smaller portion of the overall food supply, are responsible for a disproportionate amount of environmental degradation.

This includes higher greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, and land exploitation, underscoring the urgent need for a more sustainable approach to food production and consumption.

Better food supply for a better future

One thing is clear to the researchers: The current state of the Canadian food supply chain has far-reaching implications for human health and our environment. On the health side, the excessive availability of red meat and sugar correlates with rising incidences of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. From the environmental perspective, the over-reliance on animal-based food production exacerbates climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource depletion.

The study advocates for strategic measures to realign the food supply with dietary recommendations, including the taxation of unhealthy foods to discourage excessive consumption and investments in sustainable food production practices, particularly in plant-based foods. The researchers hope the findings of this study will serve as a clarion call for policymakers, stakeholders in the food industry, and consumers alike.

"There's an urgent need to adopt a holistic approach that not only prioritizes public health but also the health of our planet. By aligning food supply more closely with recommended dietary guidelines , Canada can pave the way for a healthier, more sustainable future," concludes Vincent Abe-Inge.

The research is published in the journal Global Food Security .

Provided by McGill University

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Research article
Open access
Published: 15 September 2015

Perceptions of the causes of eating disorders: a comparison of individuals with and without eating disorders

Elizabeth H. Blodgett Salafia 1 ,
Maegan E. Jones 1 ,
Emily C. Haugen 1 &
Mallary K. Schaefer 1

Journal of Eating Disorders volume 3 , Article number: 32 ( 2015 ) Cite this article

75k Accesses

19 Citations

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Metrics details

In this study, we examined perceptions regarding the causes of eating disorders, both among those with eating disorders as well as those without. By understanding the differences in perceived causes between the two groups, better educational programs for lay people and those suffering from eating disorders can be developed.

This study used open-ended questions to assess the beliefs of 57 individuals with self-reported eating disorders and 220 without. Participants responded to the questions, “What do you think was (were) the cause(s) of your eating disorder?” and “What do you think is (are) the cause(s) of eating disorders?”.

A list of possible codes for the causes of eating disorders was created based on a thorough review of the literature. A manually-generated set of eight codes was then created from individuals' actual responses. Frequencies and chi square analyses demonstrated differences in rates of endorsement between those with eating disorders and those without. Participants with eating disorders most frequently endorsed psychological/emotional and social problems, with genetics/biology and media/culture ideals least endorsed. Participants without eating disorders most frequently endorsed psychological/emotional problems and media/culture ideals, with traumatic life events and sports/health least endorsed. There was a difference between groups in the endorsement of the media as a cause of eating disorders, suggesting that those without eating disorders may overly attribute the media as the main cause while those with eating disorders may not be fully aware of the media’s impact. Additionally, while both groups highly endorsed psychological/emotional problems, there was a noticeable stigma about eating disorders among those without eating disorders.

Conclusions

There were noteworthy differences between samples; such differences suggest that there is a need for more education on the topic of eating disorders. Furthermore, despite empirical support for the effects of genetics, sports, and family factors, these were infrequently endorsed as causes of eating disorders by both groups. Our results suggest that there is a need for more education regarding the factors associated with eating disorders, in order to reduce the stigma surrounding these disorders and to potentially aid the treatment process.

Eating disorders have increasingly become the focus of research studies due to their prevalence, especially in Western cultures. Of the adolescent and young adult populations in the United States, for example, between .3 and .9 % are diagnosed with anorexia nervosa (AN), between .5 and 5 % with bulimia nervosa (BN), between 1.6 and 3.5 % with binge eating disorder (BED), and about 4.8 % with eating disorder otherwise not specified (EDNOS) [ 1 – 4 ]. According to the fifth edition of the DSM, individuals that do not fit the criteria for AN, BN or BED are diagnosed with sub-threshold or atypical conditions that fit under other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED) [ 5 ]. Due in part to decreased thresholds for the diagnoses of AN, BN or BED in the DSM-V, rates of OSFED have been found to be lower than previous rates of EDNOS, while the rates of AN, BN or BED have stayed the same or slightly increased [ 6 ]. Furthermore, the age at onset is concerning, as most eating disorders originate during adolescence [ 4 ]. Despite the potentially serious health consequences that result from disordered eating [ 7 ], many in the general public believe that issues with eating are due to personal shortcomings [ 8 , 9 ]. This creates a foundation of stigma regarding why individuals develop an eating disorder (e.g., to be “skinny”) and the purpose the disorder serves (e.g., to gain control). Such stigma may dishonor the actual experience of those who have lived with an eating disorder, as people could assume eating disorders are self-inflicted. In turn, those developing unhealthy habits may be discouraged from seeking help [ 10 ].

Previous research has identified biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors related to the development of eating disorders. However, it is important to explore individual narratives to identify similarities and differences among individuals with and without eating disorders. Obtaining such knowledge can help scholars determine the public’s educational needs and better target missing gaps in their knowledge. More accurate information may reduce stigma regarding eating disorders, which may in turn encourage those experiencing symptoms to seek help sooner, as they may no longer fear the negative feedback from peers and family that such stigma causes.

Factors that contribute to eating disorders identified by research

Research has identified many risk factors, ranging from individual to sociocultural, that contribute to the development of eating disorders. Based on empirical literature, we present some of the most salient factors below.

Individual factors

Genetics and biology are individual factors that play a role in the development of eating disorders. Genetic contributions to the development of eating disorders have been suggested by twin studies, with heritability estimates ranging from 0.39 to 0.74, depending on the disorder [ 11 ]. Abnormalities in the regulation of certain neurochemicals, such as 5-Hydroxytryptamine (HT) and the serotonin-transporter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR), have been closely linked with eating disorders [ 11 – 13 ]. Further, recent research has identified mutations on two specific genes that have been associated with increased risk of developing eating disorders in families: estrogen-related receptor α (ESRRA) and histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4) [ 14 ]. In addition, early puberty has also been associated with disordered eating behaviors, potentially due to increases or irregularities in circulating sex hormones, especially estrogen [ 15 , 16 ].

Body dissatisfaction has been commonly identified as an influential risk factor for eating disorders. Individuals dissatisfied with their bodies are at an increased risk of engaging in disordered eating behaviors such as bingeing and purging in order to gain satisfaction and move closer to the thin ideal [ 14 , 17 ]. Engaging in dieting behaviors also increases the risk for the occurrence of eating pathology such as binge eating and purging [ 15 , 18 ].

Researchers have recognized perfectionism as a specific risk factor in the development of eating disorders, as this personality trait may lead to a persistent pursuit of the thin ideal [ 15 , 19 , 20 ]. Perfectionism can also be a maintenance factor for disordered eating since it promotes dieting, bingeing, and purging, and enhances eating disorder symptoms, particularly when combined with low self-esteem [ 12 , 15 ]. Similarly, research has shown that negative affect in general, such as high levels of stress, guilt, hostility, anger, anxiety, and depressed mood, is associated with increases in eating disorder symptoms [ 12 , 13 , 17 – 21 ].

Sexual, physical, and emotional abuse have all received empirical support as risk factors for psychiatric difficulties, which can include eating disorders [ 22 ]. Specifically, research has shown that sexual abuse can occur in 29 % of individuals with eating disorders, and physical abuse may occur in 57 % of individuals [ 23 , 24 ]. Additionally, emotional abuse is a significant predictor of eating disorder symptoms among women when other types of abuse are controlled for, suggesting that emotional abuse may be particularly salient [ 12 , 25 ].

Sociocultural factors

Many sociocultural factors affect the development of eating disorders. In families, for example, mothers’ and fathers’ own body dissatisfaction and dieting behaviors have been associated with their children’s eating-related attitudes and behaviors [ 26 , 27 ]. Parental weight-related teasing, negative comments about body shape, pressure to lose weight, and encouragement to diet have also been associated with body dissatisfaction, dieting, disordered eating behaviors, and eating disorders among both females and males [ 12 , 15 , 26 , 28 – 31 ]. Furthermore, parents who engage in high levels of parental control, expressed emotionality, critical comments, hostility, or emotional overinvolvement and negate their child’s emotional needs are more likely to have children who develop eating disorders [ 12 , 32 ].

Peer influences on the development of eating disorders can also be broken down into a variety of factors. Peer pressure to conform to cultural ideals has been consistently identified as an important factor associated with the development of disordered eating behaviors, especially among adolescents [ 29 , 33 ]. In particular, girls may learn attitudes and behaviors from their peers, such as the importance of being thin and dieting behaviors, through modeling, teasing, and conversations about body image and eating [ 12 , 33 ]. Similarly, romantic partners play a significant role in the development of eating disorders through negative comments about appearance and encouragement to lose weight, which can lead to weight concerns, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating behaviors among both men and women [ 34 , 35 ].

It is also worth mentioning that eating disorders among athletes are common, as there is a large focus not only on being in shape, but on being the fittest and therefore the “best” [ 36 , 37 ]. There is an even greater risk of developing an eating disorder with participation in certain competitive sports that focus on leanness, such as gymnastics [ 38 ]. Athletes who believe that being leaner will increase their performance are more likely to engage in disordered eating [ 39 ]. This belief may be encouraged or reinforced by coaches and instructors, further increasing athletes’ risk for developing disordered habits [ 40 ].

Lastly, the media has an influential, if often controversial, role in the development of eating behaviors due its representation of the thin ideal. There is support that, regardless of the level of internalized thin ideal, women who were warned that a thin media image was altered experienced lower body dissatisfaction in comparison to those who were not warned the image was altered [ 41 ]. A preference for a thin and virtually unattainable body has been associated with the development of eating disorders, particularly AN [ 42 ].

A relatively small number of studies have examined individuals’ perceptions regarding the causes of eating disorders [ 10 , 36 , 43 – 55 ]. Some studies have solely focused on the perceptions of either the general public [ 10 , 43 – 47 ] or those with eating disorders [ 36 , 37 , 50 – 55 ]. Both types of studies have identified a common set of risk factors, with public perceptions and the perceptions of individuals with eating disorders varying slightly [e.g. 48,49]. Overall, both populations have a basic understanding of what eating disorders are and characteristics of each eating disorder [ 10 , 36 , 43 – 55 ]. However, despite this knowledge, many adults without eating disorders may be unsympathetic to those suffering from eating disorders, believe that having an eating disorder would not be distressing, and report that eating disorders are not difficult to treat [ 9 ].

Public perceptions of factors that contribute to eating disorders

The studies to date that have focused on identifying public perceptions of the factors associated with the development of eating disorders have surveyed individuals drawn from communities or schools. Typically, these samples have been quite large, numbering over 100 [ 43 , 44 ] or even several hundred [ 10 , 45 , 46 ], and have included both females and males [ 10 , 43 , 44 , 46 – 48 ]. Despite the importance of large samples, all of these studies have been limited in that the researchers did not ask open-ended questions; rather, participants responded to forced-answer questions where they either had to identify which item was a cause of eating disorders or identify to what degree a particular item was a cause.

The public commonly places blame on individuals with eating disorders, suggesting that they have control over their “self-inflicted” illnesses [ 48 ]. Of the individual factors associated with the development of eating disorders, the majority of people who do not have eating disorders identify psychological explanations such as emotional state, personality, and low self-esteem [ 10 , 43 , 46 – 48 ]. The general public also believes that individuals’ own behaviors and attitudes related to body image such as dieting, a desire to be thin, and body image distortion are important factors in the development of eating disorders [ 43 , 47 , 48 ]. Traumatic events, genetics, and sexual abuse were rarely discussed or, if they were mentioned, rated low on the level of significance in causing eating disorders [ 10 , 47 ].

Although sociocultural factors are less commonly identified as causal factors of eating disorders among the general public, a few factors have received support. Of all the sociocultural factors, family issues were the factors most often identified [ 43 , 46 , 48 , 49 ]. Pressure from friends as well as social isolation and loneliness were also perceived to be factors contributing to eating disorders [ 46 , 47 ]. In one study, the portrayal of thin women in the media was a highly significant cause endorsed by adult women [ 45 ].

Perceptions of individuals with eating disorders regarding causes

In contrast to studies investigating the perceptions of the general public regarding factors associated with the development of eating disorders, most studies we found that focused on individuals with eating disorders used open-ended measures, either via interview or questionnaires. Despite this, one pitfall of the research to date is that it has often involved relatively small sample sizes, ranging from 15 to 36 [ 36 , 37 , 49 – 51 ]. Only two studies have included samples over 50 individuals [ 52 , 53 ]. Additionally, almost all of these studies have focused exclusively on women, with only two including a limited number of men [ 37 , 50 ]. Furthermore, although research has included assessments of individuals with AN [ 36 , 50 , 54 ] and BN [ 53 , 55 ] or both [ 49 , 51 , 52 ], studies have failed to examine if differences existed in the perceptions of those with AN versus BN, or include individuals with other eating disorders such as BED, EDNOS, or OSFED.

Similar to public perceptions of causal factors, people with eating disorders also identify individual and sociocultural factors. Individual factors commonly identified among samples of those who were diagnosed with eating disorders include perfectionism, emotional problems or distress, stress, unhappiness with appearance, high expectations of self, and lack of control [ 36 , 48 , 50 – 54 ]. Behaviors and attitudes related to body image, such as weight loss activities, body image distortion, and a belief that thinness equals happiness, were also frequently identified as factors that related to the development of their disorders [ 48 , 53 , 55 ]. Hereditary factors and sexual abuse were not indicated.

Sociocultural influences identified by individuals with eating disorders included the media, family, peers, and sports. Although rarely mentioned, the media was occasionally identified as playing a role through the importance it places on thinness and self-comparison to the thin ideal [ 36 , 37 ]. Family factors, in contrast, were often cited and included poor parental care, controlling parents, poor relationship with parents, family tension or high amounts of conflict, critical family environment, emotional abuse, and an emphasis on weight [ 36 , 37 , 48 – 51 , 53 , 55 ]. Factors associated with peers and sports were also common and included receiving comments or pressure from friends and coaches about appearance, a need to lose weight for sports performance, and poor relationships with peers [ 36 , 37 , 53 , 55 ].

Comparisons of individuals with and without eating disorders

We could only find two studies that examined the perceptions of both individuals with and without eating disorders. First, Haworth-Hoeppner [ 49 ] interviewed 21 women with an eating disorder (either AN or BN) and 11 without, asking open-ended questions about the development of eating disorders. In this study, no comparisons were made across the two groups, likely due to the qualitative nature of the project as well as the small sample size. Second, Holliday and colleagues [ 48 ] used larger samples of individuals with and without AN and made comparisons across groups regarding the causes of eating disorders and the most important causes. However, this study was limited in that it did not allow participants to describe their own beliefs. Instead, participants responded to a list of eighteen pre-identified causes of eating disorders, which did not allow for individual perspectives and greater depth into the complexity of eating disorders.

The present study

With the prevalence of eating disorders and young age of onset, examining people’s perceptions of the factors contributing to eating disorders is important. Such efforts can enhance public education and potentially decrease the stigma surrounding eating disorders. The present study specifically examined the differences between what people with and without eating disorders perceived to be the causes of eating disorders in order to better understand people’s experiences with eating disorders as well as to better educate the larger population. We also examined differences regarding the causes of eating disorders according to type of eating disorder, including AN, BN, both, and other (e.g., BED, EDNOS, or OSFED). This study strengthens existing research by utilizing qualitative, open-ended responses as opposed to forced-answer questionnaires so that participants could identify causes using their own opinions.

Participants and procedure

This study was reviewed and approved by the university’s Institutional Review Board. Our sample was recruited from flyers and emails distributed at local universities as well as from flyers distributed to local hospitals and clinics in a medium-sized, Midwestern U.S. city. A secure Internet link was provided, which participants used to indicate consent, provide demographic information, and answer several open-ended questions. All participants were first asked, “Do/did you have an eating disorder?” with the answer choices of “yes, currently,” “yes, in the past,” and “no.” Individuals who answered as having an eating disorder, whether past or current, were asked to specify which eating disorder they had/have and for how long.

The total sample consisted of 277 participants: 57 individuals who had a past or current eating disorder and 220 who did not. Consistent with the ethnic composition of the city, most of the sample identified themselves as White (93 %). There were 234 females (84.5 %) and 43 males (15.5 %). The age range of participants was from 18 to 51 (M = 22.39, SD = 5.77).

Sample with eating disorders

Of the 57 individuals who had an eating disorder, 26 had AN (46 %), 12 had BN (21 %), 11 had both AN and BN (19 %), and 8 had another type of eating disorder such as BED or EDNOS/OSFED (14 %). Participants reporting having an eating disorder from between 4 months and 22 years (M = 3.70 years, SD = 4.55 years). Similar to the demographics of the entire sample, 93 % identified as White, and the majority of individuals in this sample were female (96.5 %; n = 55). Participants ranged in age from 18 to 47 (M = 23.70, SD = 5.84).

Sample without eating disorders

Of the 220 individuals who did not have an eating disorder, 93 % identified as White. In addition, 81 % identified as female ( n = 179). Participants ranged in age from 18 to 51 (M = 22.05, SD = 5.71). In terms of ethnicity and age, both samples were similar; there were no statistically significant differences between samples ( p = .80 and p = .11, respectively). There was, however, a statistically significant difference in gender ( p = .01).

Survey questions and compensation

After completing a series of demographic questions using the secure Internet link, individuals who had an eating disorder were asked the open-ended question, “What do you think was (were) the cause(s) of your eating disorder?” Individuals who did not have an eating disorder were asked a similar open-ended question, “What do you think is (are) the cause(s) of eating disorders?” These participants were then asked to report why they believed that these were the causes or how they learned about them. All participants were invited to participate in a random drawing for one of four $50 giftcards. Interested individuals were given another secure Internet link to provide their contact information if they wished to enter the drawing; this was done to keep the survey responses anonymous.

Coding of participants’ reponses

We initially created a list of possible codes for the causes of eating disorders commonly specified in previous research articles (as identified by overview articles on the risk factors or causes of eating disorders [e.g., 12, 15]). This provided us with a basic framework for content analysis [ 56 ]. Next, we manually generated a set of codes from actually reading individuals’ responses to the questions, “What do you think was (were) the cause(s) of your eating disorder?” and “What do you think is (are) the cause(s) of eating disorders?” Thus, we were able to identify a unique but relevant set of eight key themes. The eight themes that emerged from the data were: 1) traumatic life events, 2) family problems, 3) social problems, 4) psychological and emotional problems, 5) genetics and biology, 6) media and culture ideals, 7) sports and health, and 8) body image and eating.

Participants’ responses were then grouped under each of these categories. Many participants identified multiple causes of eating disorders, which were therefore grouped under multiple categories. The responses were coded independently by three research assistants, then checked by an additional research assistant and the first author for consistency. This was done to ensure interrater reliability [ 56 ]. When a difference in coding existed, the research team discussed the differences and mutually agreed upon a solution. See Table 1 for sample responses in each category.

Frequencies of individuals reporting each cause

Individuals with AN most commonly indicated psychological and emotional problems as the cause ( n = 13), followed by body image and eating problems ( n = 9). Individuals with BN reported psychological and emotional ( n = 8) and social ( n = 7) as the primary causes. Those with both AN and BN listed all types of problems as causes, so there was not a clear primary cause, although social ( n = 5) and psychological and emotional problems ( n = 4) were slightly more frequently endorsed. Finally, those with other eating disorders most frequently cited psychological and emotional problems ( n = 5) and traumatic life events ( n = 3). See Table 2 for a complete listing of the frequencies of individuals citing each causal category.

A Chi square test for goodness of fit indicated that the participants in this sample showed significantly different rates of endorsement among the causes of eating disorders, χ 2 (7, n = 414) = 326.95, p < .05. Specifically, psychological and emotional problems ( n = 141) and media and culture ideals ( n = 104) were most frequently endorsed, with the lowest number of endorsements for family problems ( n = 28), genetics and biology ( n = 18), traumatic life events ( n = 5), and sports and health ( n = 4). Clearly, this sample differed from the sample of individuals with eating disorders in what they viewed as the primary causes. See Table 2 for the frequencies.

Differences between samples

Chi square tests for independence indicated that there was not a significant relationship between type of eating disorder (AN, BN, both, or other) and the causes specified. Furthermore, there were no significant relationships among each pairing of eating disorder sub-groups. The lack of statistically significant findings here could be the result of our small sample sizes for each group. See Table 3 for a summary of results from these chi square tests for independence.

Of particular noteworthiness, results from a chi square test of independence indicated that there was a significant relationship between eating disorder versus non-eating disorder groups and the causes specified, χ 2 (7, n = 522) = 77.96, p < .05, Phi = .39. This suggests that individuals with and without eating disorders had significantly different views regarding the causes of eating disorders, with each group likely to endorse causes at different rates. In conducting follow-up analyses of each cause separately, we found significant differences in the endorsement of family problems (χ 2 (1, n = 39) = 7.41, p < .05), social problems (χ 2 (1, n = 79) = 15.51, p < .05), psychological and emotional problems (χ 2 (1, n = 171) = 72.05, p < .05), genetics and biology (χ 2 (1, n = 20) = 12.80, p < .05), media and culture (χ 2 (1, n = 109) = 89.92, p < .05), and body image and eating (χ 2 (1, n = 71) = 26.04, p < .05) among those with and without eating disorders. More specifically, individuals with eating disorders more often endorsed family problems, and social problems while individuals without eating disorders more often endorsed psychological and emotional problems, genetics and biology, media and culture, and body image and eating.

Additionally, there were significant relations between each individual type of eating disorder versus non-eating disorder and the causes specified. See Table 3 for these results. This suggests, for example, that individuals without eating disorders had different levels of endorsement for each cause than the group of individuals with AN. The same was true for the sub-groups of BN, both, and other, when compared to individuals without eating disorders.

This is the only known study that assessed subjective perceptions of the causes of eating disorders among a relatively large sample of individuals with and without eating disorders. The results support differences between the general public and individuals suffering from eating disorders, which hopefully can be used to provide proper education. Specifically, the general public largely believed that the media causes eating disorders, a perception that is not shared among individuals with an eating disorder. Similarly, sports, body image, and traumatic events were listed less frequently by participants without eating disorders than participants with eating disorders. However, psychological and emotional problems were highly endorsed by all. Together, these findings indicate differences in opinion regarding the causes of eating disorders between those who have an eating disorder and those who do not.

The open-ended questions used in the present study enabled us to gain insight into individuals’ personal opinions regarding factors associated with the development of their disorders, ultimately providing a greater understanding for both clinicians and lay people. Psychological and emotional problems were the most frequently reported causes for those with an eating disorder, supporting the need for greater availability of support systems. In considering the perspectives of individuals who had an eating disorder, it is difficult to know if their perceptions align accurately with the actual causes. However, professionals working with these individuals could help assess the discrepancy between perceived and actual causes. For many postmodern therapists, understanding the perception of the eating disorder from the client perspective and helping him or her make meaning of the experience is more important than determining the actual cause of the disorder [ 57 , 58 ]. This, therefore, provides reinforcement for the role of psychologists and family therapists within the field of eating disorders, yet many currently lack sufficient training to address eating disorders and instead must refer clients to specialists, who are often expensive and not widely located.

The role of the media

Our findings revealed a definite contrast between how people with and without eating disorders perceive media as a risk factor for developing an eating disorder. A large percentage of people without eating disorders identified media as a cause (47 %), but only five total participants with eating disorders did. There is a clear separation in the experience of those with eating disorders and with society’s conceptualization of them [ 36 , 37 ]. Thus, it seems that lay individuals may overemphasize the role of the media as one of the main causes of eating disorders, while those with eating disorders may not be fully aware of the potential impact of the media [ 50 ]. Whereas specific media variables such as depiction of the thin ideal and unrealistic body standards may be correlated with eating disorders [ 42 ], they do not fully explain disordered behaviors. Our findings should be used to educate consumers of media on the complexity of eating disorders, and as evidence for the need to change the types of messages regarding body image ideals that are currently available in the media.

Psychological and emotional problems

Psychological and emotional problems were one of the highest named causes of eating disorders by both groups, which is consistent with prior research [ 43 , 46 , 48 ]. However, upon close examination of the data, we noticed a contrast between the written answers of those who had eating disorders and those who did not. More specifically, individuals with eating disorders listed personal reasons, such as “a bad relationship that caused a lot of low self-esteem,” or simple statements such as “stress, depression.” In contrast, there was a negative stigma surrounding some of the answers from participants without eating disorders. These answers included phrases such as “no self-confidence” and “mental disabilities.” This difference is worth noting, because it demonstrates a stigma towards those with eating disorders, which may result in a fear of judgment from others that often prevents those suffering from eating disorders to seek help [ 59 ]. Reduction of this stigma through educational programs could encourage individuals who are developing disordered eating habits to speak up, as well as encourage friends and family to begin a non-judgmental, supportive dialogue with individuals about their habits.

Other factors

Traumatic life events were only listed by 2 % of the non-eating disorder group, versus 23 % of those with eating disorders. This once again emphasizes the need for education geared towards the general public. However, there is also a need for better education for those with eating disorders, as the number of people listing traumatic events was quite low. Many individuals may not make the connection between a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, and the beginning of their disorder, despite empirical support for the effects of abuse [ 22 ].

Similar to previous studies, genetics as a cause of disordered eating was only listed by two participants with eating disorders and eight participants without eating disorders [ 10 , 47 ], making it the least endorsed cause. This indicates a need for the dissemination of information regarding the genetic component of eating disorders, as this could potentially help with the negative stigma surrounding eating disorders [ 60 ].

Similarly, and in line with previous studies, only twelve participants with eating disorders and 28 participants without listed family problems as a cause of disordered eating [ 43 , 46 , 48 , 49 ]. There are numerous studies, however, that show the impact that mothers, fathers, and siblings can have on the development of disordered eating in an individual (e.g., [ 26 , 27 ]). If education efforts could help improve understanding of how eating disorders develop within families, parents and siblings can take steps towards preventing the occurrence of these issues and can work towards developing healthier habits for themselves as well.

Sports and health were also listed more frequently as causes by those with eating disorders (19 %), whereas only 2 % of those without eating disorders mentioned them. However, these numbers are both still low. The general public, and specifically coaches, need to be aware of how an intense focus on the body can lead to negative outcomes and strive to support healthy methods of getting and staying in shape.

Body image was listed as a cause of eating disorders by 26 % of participants without an eating disorder, and 25 % of those with experience with disorder eating; these numbers represent a substantial portion of participants. Poor body image often provides a foundation for the development of an eating disorder [ 15 , 17 ], and understanding what issues underlie an eating disorder can help not only those struggling to recover, but those trying to assist them.

Another highly-endorsed cause of eating disorders was social problems, as 26 % of those without eating disorders and 39 % of those with eating disorders listed them. While these numbers are considerably higher than other groups, only one fourth of those without eating disorders acknowledged social problems as a cause, while a much larger number of those with eating disorders indicated social problems as a cause. However, many individuals may not realize the effect that external events can have on their internal belief systems, once again indicating the need to incorporate this finding into general education, as well as into the treatment process as a way of lessening the blame that those suffering may place on themselves.

Summary of findings

This study provides insight into the educational resources needed to inform the lay audience regarding eating disorders as well as some factors to consider in the education or prevention of eating disorders among those affected. There is a clear difference between perceived causes of eating disorders from those who have experienced them and those who have not. Those who had not struggled with an eating disorder were more likely to believe that media and cultural ideals influenced eating disorders. For those who had lived with an eating disorder, this was one of the least likely perceived causes. Social problems, in contrast, were frequently listed by participants with eating disorders and less frequently listed by participants without. Genetics and traumatic events were listed most infrequently by both groups, and there were also relatively low levels of endorsement for traumatic life events, sports and health, and family problems among both groups. Both groups listed body image as a fairly frequent cause, and although both groups highly endorsed psychological and emotional problems as causes, there was a clear negative stigma surrounding psychological and emotional problems when listed by non-disordered participants. Improved educational programs should seek to give those who are uninformed a greater understanding of how psychological, social, and relational factors influence those with eating disorders. Increased opportunities for those who have lived with eating disorders to share their stories and perspectives are also needed. With the opportunity to provide first-hand knowledge, these individuals can be an excellent asset for researchers, professionals, and lay people.

Limitations

Our sample was a relatively homogenous group in terms of gender and ethnicity, so separate analyses could not be conducted examining differences among men and women or among various ethnic groups. Thus, care should be taken when generalizing the results to males and non-white individuals. Furthermore, in order to utilize open-ended questions, no measurement scales were used to determine eating disorder pathology. Therefore, eating disorder status was determined solely by self-report and may not be clinically accurate. In retrospect, it may have been useful to at least provide participants with a self-report survey to assess their eating disorder symptomatology. However, we do note that our sample was recruited not only from local universities but directly from hospitals and clinics that included eating disorder treatment facilities. As a result, we hope that participants were able to appropriately reflect on the nature of their symptomatology. Further, our type of questioning allowed for only two groups of samples, those with eating disorders and those without; individuals who have subclinical symptoms or undiagnosed eating disorders may have been inaccurately placed in the category of non-eating disorder due to their own assessment. Similarly, those who identified themselves as having an eating disorder may have been self-diagnosed, and therefore may not technically meet clinical standards for a disorder.

Additionally, two different questions were asked of participants. Specifically, we asked participants with an eating disorder: “What do you think was (were) the cause(s) of your eating disorder?”, and we asked participants without an eating disorder: “What do you think is (are) the cause(s) of eating disorders?” This allows individuals to add a personal dimension to their analysis of the causes of eating disorders. As such, they may believe that the cause of their disorder is very different than the cause of someone else’s disorder. Similarly, individuals with an eating disorder may have focused more on life events or recent triggers without a reflection on more general risk factors.

Lastly, because this study was completed online, it could be considered relatively impersonal, whereas in-person interviews would have most likely been more in depth. However, because the main interest of the study was to examine participants’ instinctive reactions to eating disorders, the completely anonymous online survey was the most beneficial means of execution.

Despite limitations, this study contributes to the field in a variety of ways. The sample size of those with eating disorders ( n = 57) is somewhat larger than samples currently in the literature. Furthermore, while many studies focus only on AN or BN, this study included those with self-reported AN, BN, BED and EDNOS/OSFED, allowing for more inclusive results. It also allowed us to separately assess perceived causes of eating disorders according to the type of eating disorder. For example, individuals with AN most frequently indicated psychological and emotional problems as well as body image and eating problems; individuals with BN often reported psychological and emotional problems as well as social problems; individuals with both AN and BN listed all types of problems; and individuals with BED, EDNOS, or OSFED primarily cited psychological and emotional problems as well as traumatic life events. Although these differences in perceptions were not statistically significant, it may suggest that each type of disorder is unique, with potentially unique causes attributed to the disorder. Future research should continue to examine these differences, and education should focus on the unique nature of each type of eating disorder.

The use of an open-ended qualitative assessment allowed for a complete picture of individuals’ perceptions of the causes of eating disorders. It also allowed individuals to write about more than one perceived cause of the disorders, which is not always possible with close-ended questions with limited answer options. An additional strength of this study is that it contributes to the relatively small pool of current literature discussing perceptions of eating disorders. Within this limited research, most examine perceptions of the general public or perceptions of those with eating disorders separately. Our study is also one of very few studies to examine differences between these two groups.

Overall, it appears that all individuals would benefit from learning more about eating disorders and their causes. Knowing this could be particularly helpful for individuals going through eating disorder treatment, especially for therapists to use when educating those close to someone struggling with an eating disorder. This could help facilitate greater support and connection between family members and friends, and help to end the stigma surrounding these problems and allow those in trouble to seek help.

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Acknowledgements

We thank our undergraduate and graduate research assistants at the North Dakota State University Eating Disorders and Body Image Lab for their assistance with coding the data.

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EHBS conceived of and designed the study, developed codes for and analysed the data, and wrote the manuscript. MEJ co-wrote and formatted the manuscript. ECH coded data and co-wrote the manuscript. MKS coded data and co-wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Blodgett Salafia, E.H., Jones, M.E., Haugen, E.C. et al. Perceptions of the causes of eating disorders: a comparison of individuals with and without eating disorders. J Eat Disord 3 , 32 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-015-0069-8

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Using advanced genetic techniques, scientists create mice with traits of Tourette disorder

Gene-altered rodents could aid the development of new treatments for a brain disorder.

In research that may be a step forward toward finding personalized treatments for Tourette disorder, scientists at Rutgers University-New Brunswick have bred mice that exhibit some of the same behaviors and brain abnormalities seen in humans with the disorder.

As reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , the researchers, using a technique known as CRISPR/Cas9 DNA editing that selectively modifies the DNA of living organisms, inserted the same genetic mutations found in humans with Tourette disorder into the corresponding genes in mouse embryos. After the mice were born, the scientists observed their behavior compared with littermates without the gene mutation insertion. The mutations that were inserted were discovered by some members of the same research team who have spent more than a decade focused on investigating genetic factors in Tourette disorder.

The researchers said the findings indicate that these mice are a highly useful "model" to study the neurobiology of Tourette disorder and to test new medications.

"There are no medicines specifically developed for Tourette disorder and repurposing other drugs has worked poorly, with too many side effects," said co-senior author Jay Tischfield, the Duncan and Nancy MacMillan Distinguished Professor of Genetics in the Department of Genetics in the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences and a pioneer in the study of Tourette disorder. "Until now, the problem has been a lack of an animal model by which to test new or existing medications."

Tourette disorder is a disorder of the nervous system that affects children, adolescents and adults. The condition is characterized by sudden, involuntary movements or sounds called tics. Tics can be mild, moderate or severe, and are disabling in some cases.

Tourette disorder doesn't affect lifespan, but it often adversely impacts the experience of people with the disorder and the people with whom they interact. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that one of every 162 children have the disorder, though the number may be higher.

Using cameras that recorded the mice's actions and employing a form of artificial intelligence known as machine learning, the researchers found the genetically engineered mice exhibited two key characteristics seen in humans with Tourette disorder: They engaged in repetitive motor behaviors or tics, and they exhibited what neuroscientists call "sensorimotor gating deficits," a neural process whereby the brain filters out redundant or irrelevant stimuli.

Cara Nasello, a research associate in the Departments of Genetics and Cell Biology and Neuroscience and the first author of the study, said gating deficits in people with Tourette syndrome can be viewed as a difficulty in processing sensory information. A person without the disorder who listens to a series of sounds such as a beeping car horn wouldn't be startled after the first honk because that person's brain can link the second and subsequent sounds to the first one. A person with Tourette disorder might be startled by each separate sound, especially if it increases in volume.

The genetically engineered mice reacted the same way humans with the disorder would react to individual sounds that were part of a pattern -- they showed a startle response to each tone, Nasello said.

In collaboration with Miriam Bocarsly from the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, the team found evidence that the gene mutations altered the levels of a brain chemical known as dopamine. As with humans with Tourette disorder who are treated with a drug that alters the levels of dopamine, the processing deficits and repetitive behaviors seen in the mice decreased in intensity when they were administered the same drug.

"An easy way to think about this is that we have inserted a gene mutation and it's changed the neural circuitry of the mice's brains," said Max Tischfield, an assistant professor in the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience in the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences, and the senior corresponding author of the study. "And those changes are altering how a brain chemical like dopamine, which in humans is important for cognition and motor behavior, allows the mice brain cells to communicate."

The researchers credited much of the success of their work to the contributions of families with Tourette disorder who over the past 15 years donated genetic samples to the research group.

"These families did this out of the goodness of their hearts with the idea of moving the field forward," said Gary Heiman, a co-senior author of the study and a professor in the Department of Genetics who recruited families of members with Tourette disorder throughout the world and organized blood collection and genetic repositories. "They want to have a better understanding of this mysterious disorder and for us to come up with better treatments, not only for the people who are currently suffering with the disorder but also for future generations."

The scientists said the techniques they employed in their research are applicable to researchers studying other complex disorders caused by multiple genes, including autism and schizophrenia.

They also hope this advance will attract more researchers to study Tourette disorder.

"So why would a researcher jump into something if there's little known and they're left wondering, 'How do I even start? What do I have at my disposal that would allow me to even scratch the surface of this very complex disorder?'" Max Tischfield said. "And with these mice, not only can we scratch the surface, but we can dig underneath."

Attention Deficit Disorder
Eating Disorder Research
Children's Health
Genetically Modified
Biotechnology and Bioengineering
Biochemistry Research
Tourette syndrome
Bipolar disorder
Sleep disorder
Psychiatric service dog
General anxiety disorder
Seasonal affective disorder
Mental illness

Story Source:

Materials provided by Rutgers University . Original written by Kitta MacPherson. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference :

Cara Nasello, Lauren A. Poppi, Junbing Wu, Tess F. Kowalski, Joshua K. Thackray, Riley Wang, Angelina Persaud, Mariam Mahboob, Sherry Lin, Rodna Spaseska, C. K. Johnson, Derek Gordon, Fadel Tissir, Gary A. Heiman, Jay A. Tischfield, Miriam Bocarsly, Max A. Tischfield. Human mutations in high-confidence Tourette disorder genes affect sensorimotor behavior, reward learning, and striatal dopamine in mice . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , 2024; 121 (19) DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2307156121

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A 15-year-old hockey player with MS may never experience a symptom, thanks to Colorado research

The Trust Project

Blaise Pfeifer battles for a hockey puck during a game.

Blaise Pfeifer, 15 and a ninth grader at Standley Lake High School, lives for hockey. He started skating at 3, travels the country for tournaments, and describes gliding across the ice with a puck “like second nature.”

He also knows he has multiple sclerosis, though he has never felt a symptom.

He was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease that attacks the brain and spinal cord after enrolling in a study at Children’s Hospital Colorado for kids whose parents have multiple sclerosis. A series of brain scans beginning when Blaise was 12 revealed neurological activity and lesions that are telltale signs of multiple sclerosis.

Blaise began taking medication, a drug called rituximab , that his doctors say could prevent him from ever getting an MS attack. And since he began taking it two years ago, he has not had any new lesions on his brain.

The sequence of events is remarkable because people do not typically receive a multiple sclerosis diagnosis before they’ve had attacks — legs that go numb, lost vision in one eye that last for a few days, difficulty walking that lasts for a few weeks and then goes away.

There is no genetic test to diagnose MS and no one gene that is identified as the cause. Instead, scientists have identified more than 230 genetic changes that are more common among people who have family members with multiple sclerosis.

Doctors believe the disease, which typically progresses to balance problems and difficulty walking, is caused by a combination of genetics and environmental factors. Low vitamin D, living in a house with a smoker, childhood obesity and contracting the Epstein-Barr virus are among the environmental factors. People are most often diagnosed in their 20s and 30s.

Blaise’s mom, Amanda Pfeifer, was diagnosed in 1996 at age 24, after making four or five trips to urgent care and a hospital emergency department. On one of her first trips to the doctor, Pfeifer had a numb feeling in her left leg, from the knee to the foot. Doctors speculated that it was a pinched nerve, then poked her with a needle to see if she could feel it. She yelped out in pain, and then they sent her home.

The day Pfeifer woke up with ringing in her ear and numbness in the right side of her face, her father told her to go to the hospital. “That’s when I got my MRI,” said Pfeifer, now 51. “The whole diagnosis took about six months.”

She’s the type of person who goes to the doctor at any sign of a problem, and she has a theory about why women are more likely than men to get diagnosed with MS at a younger age. “That’s because men don’t go to doctors,” Pfeifer said. She knows two men with multiple sclerosis in her hydrotherapy class who told her they ignored symptoms when they were young.

Blaise Pfeifer poses for a photo while standing next to his mother, Amanda Pfeifer, who is seated.

Early diagnosis is key because MS is a degenerative disease, marked by a gradual loss of function that builds over time. Treatment can slow the process.

Pfeifer was adopted and doesn’t know whether her biological parents had MS, so when she heard about the study at Children’s, she didn’t hesitate to enroll her two sons.

“When I was 12, if somebody could have looked at my brian, maybe a lot of what I went through would not have happened,” she said.

Pfeifer has managed her disease with a medication called Tysabri, which works by sticking to cells that are attacking nerves in the brain and spinal cord. The body’s immune system makes cells to kill viruses and bacteria, but with MS, those cells attack the brain and spinal cord by mistake.

The medication is “keeping my MS at bay,” said Pfeifer, who is able to walk with the help of a trekking pole.

“It is what it is”

It was a school day afternoon when Blaise learned his diagnosis. He came to find out that his parents had received a call from the doctor that day. Soon after, the family had a telehealth appointment with Dr. Teri Schreiner, a pediatric neurologist who specializes in neuroimmunology and the study’s lead pediatric researcher.

“It did take me by surprise,” Blaise said. But right away, he said, his mind shifted to, “What do I do next?”

The news, he said, wasn’t devastating, likely because he has watched his mom function with the disease his whole life. And there was no question that he’d rather know now than find out years from now, when the disease was already affecting his ability to play sports. Blaise is also on his high school lacrosse team, though hockey is his favorite.

“I just took it as face value,” the teenager said. “It is what it is. I’d rather know. If I did wait until I started showing symptoms, it would affect my life quite a bit, for my athletics and just my hockey.”

Blaise said he was reassured that every doctor he’s met has said something like, “It’s good that we caught it this early.”

“I never saw it as that bad, seeing how my mom worked through it.”

Blaise’s younger brother, Quinn, 13, went through the study two years after Blaise. He does not have MS.

Catching the disease at “the earliest possible time”

Blaise is the only pediatric patient diagnosed with MS through the Children’s Hospital study, which included 25 children. The study is for people up to age 30, and Schreiner focuses on those 17 and younger.

The study so far included 180 adults and children, of whom 27 were found to have spots on their brains that were concerning signs of MS. Two adults and Blaise were the only three people whose followup MRIs showed changes consistent with MS. None have had a clinical attack.

The study looks at first-degree relatives, meaning siblings or children, of MS patients over time, Schreiner said. So far, 53 people returned for more scans two years after their first scans.

☀️ READ MORE

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The disease is tricky to diagnose, and involves examining changes in a patient’s MRIs over time to determine whether lesions are “active,” Schreiner said.

People enrolled in the study submit information about their environmental risk factors, and give blood to test for viral risk factors, their level of vitamin D and genetic markers. One goal of the study is to develop a more sophisticated risk score for first-degree relatives of people with MS, based on their combination of environmental and genetic factors. Another is to prevent the disease from causing physical symptoms by stopping it before it progresses.

Blaise Pfeifer poses for a school photo while wearing his school lacrosse uniform.

“For Blaise and others like him, we want to catch the disease at the earliest possible time so that disability does not accumulate over time,” she said. “We know that the disease of MS actually starts months, perhaps even years, before the first clinical attack.”

Schreiner said it’s valid to consider the ethics of telling a child he has a potentially life-altering disease, and that there wouldn’t be a point if there was no preventative action. But taking medication now could change Blaise’s life, she said. Besides, for people whose relatives have MS, the “the worry is already there,” so knowing and working to prevent symptoms is better than just worrying that symptoms might develop someday, she said.

“This way we can take active steps to try and mitigate it,” Schreiner said. “I care about what Blaise looks like now. I also care about what he looks like at 50.”

Blaise and the other study participants had dye injected into their blood during an MRI so that doctors could observe how the blood acts in their brain. The dye should stay in the blood vessels, not seep into brain matter, creating lesions.

Blaise had three MRIs, beginning at age 12. The first one in 2021 showed numerous spots in his brain that are typical of patients with MS, but the spots were not active. Then two more MRIs showed new, active spots on his brain.

Yet his neurological exam is normal, Schreiner said.

Since Blaise started the medication, no new lesions have appeared. Schreiner can’t say for sure what would have happened without treatment, but she suspects Blaise would have had his first physical symptom within a couple of years.

“It could prevent him from ever getting an attack,” she said.

Blaise gets an IV injection of the medication twice per year, and while the initial treatments were at Children’s, he now does them at home. He doesn’t focus on it.

He’s much more interested in his skills at right and left wing. “I’ve been playing for such a long time, I just love the game,” he said. “It’s just what I do.”

Type of Story: News

Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

Jennifer Brown Reporter

Jennifer Brown writes about mental health, the child welfare system, the disability community and homelessness for The Colorado Sun. As a former Montana 4-H kid, she also loves writing about agriculture and ranching. Brown previously worked... More by Jennifer Brown

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It is divided by topic area and presented as a series of papers. Three research databases were searched: ScienceDirect, PubMed and Ovid/MEDLINE. To establish a broad understanding of the progress made in the field of eating disorders, and to capture the largest evidence base on the past 13 years (originally 2009-2019, but expanded to include ...
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The nine item avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder screen (NIAS) is a short and practical assessment tool specific to ARFID with three ARFID phenotypes such as "Picky eating," "Fear," and "Appetite". This... Hakan Öğütlü, Meryem Kaşak, Uğur Doğan, Hana F. Zickgraf and Mehmet Hakan Türkçapar. Journal of Eating Disorders ...
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Epidemiology. Although eating disorders contribute significantly to the global burden of disease, they remain relatively uncommon. A study published in September 2018 by Tomoko Udo, Ph.D., and Carlos M. Grilo, Ph.D., in Biological Psychiatry examined data from a large, nationally representative sample of over 36,000 U.S. adults 18 years of age and older surveyed using a lay-administered ...
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Aims and scope. Journal of Eating Disorders is the first open access, peer-reviewed journal publishing leading research in the science and clinical practice of eating disorders. It disseminates research that provides answers to the important issues and key challenges in the field of eating disorders and to facilitate translation of evidence ...
Eating disorders
Eating disorders are disabling, deadly, and costly mental disorders that considerably impair physical health and disrupt psychosocial functioning. Disturbed attitudes towards weight, body shape, and eating play a key role in the origin and maintenance of eating disorders. Eating disorders have been increasing over the past 50 years and changes in the food environment have been implicated.
Current Discoveries and Future Implications of Eating Disorders
Eating disorders (EDs) are characterized by severe disturbances in eating behaviors and can sometimes be fatal. Eating disorders are also associated with distressing thoughts and emotions. They can be severe conditions affecting physical, psychological, and social functions. Preoccupation with food, body weight, and shape may also play an important role in the regulation of eating disorders.
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W ellington, 6012, New Zealand. EXPLANA TION OF EA TING DISORDERS 1. Abstract. Eating disorders (EDs) are one of the most severe and complex mental health problems. facing researchers and ...
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On average, only 50% of people with an eating disorder make a full recovery, and anorexia nervosa has one of the highest mortality rates of all psychiatric disorders. Eating disorders cost between £3·9 and £4·6 billion per year to the National Health Service (NHS) and result in losses of between £6·8 and £8 billion to the economy.
40 years of research on eating disorders in domain-specific ...
Another interesting finding was that the outcome of the treatment of eating disorders (topic 6), is the second most important topic of 2013, and this finding has important aspects to discuss. ... Strand M, Bulik CM. Trends in female authorship in research papers on eating disorders: 20-year bibliometric study. BJPsych Open. 2018;4(2):39-46 ...
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Complex Eating Disorder Research Topics. If you want to impress your professor and awe your classmates, you may need to consider picking a topic from our list of complex eating disorder research topics below: Discuss physical morbidity caused by eating disorders. The first documented case of anorexia nervosa.
The evolving profile of eating disorders and their treatment in a
Affiliations 1 Centre for Research in Eating and Weight Disorders, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK; South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK. Electronic address: [email protected]. 2 Centre for Research in Eating and Weight Disorders, Department of Psychological ...
PDF Top 10 research priorities for eating disorders
Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2016; 4: CD012145. Top 10 research priorities for eating disorders. The lifetime prevalence of all eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and related syndromes) is about 5%.1 "Recent comprehensive estimates suggest that 20 million people in the European Union have an eating ...
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Published Papers, 2024. Published Papers by year. Walter Kaye and the UCSD Eating Disorders Research team have published over 250 papers on the neurobiology of eating disorders. These publications include behavioral, treatment, and cognitive neuroscience studies that have improved understanding of the clinical presentation, genetics ...
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Abstract and Figures. There is a commonly held view that eating disorders are lifestyle choice. Eating disorders are actually serious and often fatal illnesses, obsessions with food, body weight ...
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Background How we research eating disorder (ED) recovery impacts what we know (perceive as fact) about it. Traditionally, research has focused more on the "what" of recovery (e.g., establishing criteria for recovery, reaching consensus definitions) than the "how" of recovery research (e.g., type of methodologies, triangulation of perspectives). In this paper we aim to provide an ...
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154 In Depth Eating Disorder Research Topics For Your Dissertation. Before you get started on potential eating disorder thesis or dissertation ideas, you should first know what eating disorder means. Eating disorder is a behavioral condition that patterns consistent uneasiness when it comes to eating. It is associated with uncomfortable ...
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This essay about the impact of social media on eating disorders explores the complex relationship between digital platform use and body image issues. Social media often showcases unattainable beauty standards through curated images, which can lead to unrealistic body image expectations and disordered eating behaviors.
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Better food supply for a better future. One thing is clear to the researchers: The current state of the Canadian food supply chain has far-reaching implications for human health and our ...
Eating disorder outcomes: findings from a rapid review of over a decade
Eating disorders (ED), especially Anorexia Nervosa (AN), have amongst the highest mortality and suicide rates in mental health. While there has been significant research into causal and maintaining factors, early identification efforts and evidence-based treatment approaches, global incidence rates have increased from 3.4% calculated between 2000 and 2006 to 7.8% between 2013 and 2018 [].
Perceptions of the causes of eating disorders: a comparison of
Eating disorders have increasingly become the focus of research studies due to their prevalence, especially in Western cultures. Of the adolescent and young adult populations in the United States, for example, between .3 and .9 % are diagnosed with anorexia nervosa (AN), between .5 and 5 % with bulimia nervosa (BN), between 1.6 and 3.5 % with binge eating disorder (BED), and about 4.8 % with ...
Using advanced genetic techniques, scientists create ...
In research that may be a step forward toward finding personalized treatments for Tourette disorder, scientists have bred mice that exhibit some of the same behaviors and brain abnormalities seen ...
Breakthrough study detects signs of MS before first symptoms
The study is for people up to age 30, and Schreiner focuses on those 17 and younger. The study so far included 180 adults and children, of whom 27 were found to have spots on their brains that were concerning signs of MS. Two adults and Blaise were the only three people whose followup MRIs showed changes consistent with MS.

40 years of research on eating disorders in domain-specific journals: Bibliometrics, network analysis, and topic modeling

Introduction

Domain-specific journals and its social structure

Domain-specific journals and its disciplinary organization

Domain-specific journals and complex adaptive systems

The current study

Data collection

Bibliometric analysis and network analysis in R

Topic modeling: Dimensionality reduction and matrix factorization

Bibliometric analysis

Network analysis

Topic modeling

Limitations and conclusions

Supporting information

S2 File. Most global cited documents.

S3 File. Network statistics.

S4 File. Network of collaboration including close to one hundred authors.

S5 File. Data preprocessing and text representation in Python.

S6 File. Sum of NMF results for topic dominance per year and per topic.

S7 File. Number of documents per year and per journal.

S8 File. Trends over time in number of documents per journal.

List of 122 Eating Disorder Research Topics

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Treatments for Eating Disorders

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Gender Issues and Eating Disorders

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