Theory: anorexia may be inherited and linked to autism
August 21st, 2007A psychiatrist at King’s College London says that anorexia may be caused by a genetic brain disorder shared by people with autism and Asperger’s syndrome. Prof. Janet Treasure says she thinks the condition may be triggered by inherited problems with mental processing which can often be spotted in childhood behavior.
A recent survey found more than 20 per cent of anorexic patients could be described as having a disorder on the autism spectrum.
Anorexia has been described as “the female form of Asperger’s”, a milder form of autism in which sufferers have difficulty communicating and maintaining social relationships.
From the (UK) Telegraph and the (London) Times.
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December 18th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
Although I agree that, if this research winds up holding truth, the correlation between social and cultural ideals and pressures and anorexia should not be forgotten, I also believe that some positive results could come from connecting anorexia to some form of genetic brain disorder. Those with anorexia are often scorned as they are seen to be in control of their sickness.
I have heard people — teenagers in particular — speak in disgust of those with anorexia. I am not making any positive or negative statement about genetic brain disorders; I am speculating that perhaps, as more research is done, some “blame” could be, perhaps, removed from those with eating disorders.
December 12th, 2007 at 11:20 pm
Upon first reading this headline, I was determined to not believe it. I am certainly not a scientist, but I have spent countless hours talking to 4 close friends with anorexia and learning about the eating disorder, and I have been taught to believe that it is entirely caused by “social and cultural factors”. After reading the full article, however, I can see why scientists would theorize that there could be similarities: my friends with anorexia do indeed experience “an inability to change rules they have set themselves, perfectionism and a tendency to fixate on details”. However, if a correlation is found, I fear that psychiatrists, psychologists and scientists will take this new information too far and begin to ignore the social and cultural causes of the disorder that are sure to exist. For example, why would Asperger’s manifest itself so differently in males and females unless our social expectations of men and women caused it to? And why would anorexia be a culturally specific phenomenon? If this research does find a correlation and allows us to understand anorexia more fully, I hope that we don’t forget that it is our appearance- and control-obsessed culture that causes people with these personality traits to feel the need to starve themselves.