8 Million people in the United States alone suffer from an eating disorder. (Tabah) The most common eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa, and Bulimia Nervosa. It is a myth that anorexia nervosa only occurs in adolescent females, anorexia is reported in both genders, (Winter), from young to old. How young do you ask? Approximately 40% of fourth graders have been on a diet (Tabah) and several 5-6 year olds who have eating disorders (Pelca) People who have eating disorders such as anorexia or bulima, deprive them self of the nutrients they need, which we can only be obtained by the intake of food. By depriving their bodies of nutrients, their muscles waste way, calcium is loss which in turn leads to potential bone problems, (Tabah) infertility, seizures, tearing of the esophagus, and death. What is the cause of this very harmful disorder? What make people turn anorexic or bulimic? Many of them know the dangers, Katie Johnson a 19 year old who is 5 feet, 9 inches tall and was hospitalized for the fourth time when her weight dropped to 80 pounds say, " Intellectually, I know everything. I know I'm thin. I know I could die. I know I could have a heart attack. But emotionally, I can't touch anything. [Food]" (Mullen) So what's the cause? There is no single cause for eating disorders. A number of factors play a role in the development of eating disorders. The influence from family, being involved in an activity, which deems appearance important, the media, and a person's low self-esteem each have a role in the development of eating disorders in a young person.
             Family is important. Whether or not certain family members are present or not, plays a role. People that belong to weight conscience families, tend to develop some sort of eating disorder more than non-weight conscience families. (Thompson) http://www.bodyimagesite.com/information/inf_gen.html states, " When a parent encourages a daughter to lose weight, it increases the daughter&apo...