Family studies show that if you have a family member who has an eating disorder, you're between seven and 12 times at greater risk for developing an eating disorder yourself.

For far too long, people suffering from this disorder have had to deal with the theory that this is all societal, that somehow they choose to have anorexia, or parents have had to deal with the blame placed on them because somehow their parenting style caused this. Now, they know that they really need to go against the tide of their biology to overcome this.

Body dissatisfaction can trigger unhealthy eating behavior and can also affect your self-esteem.

Anorexia nervosa is not simply a disorder of choice. There is a clear genetic [cause] for this disorder that we need to incorporate into our understanding of what anorexia nervosa is.

Eating disorder sufferers cannot be told to 'pull themselves together', to 'stop doing that' or to 'just eat'.

We need to stop viewing them as a choice. The patients feel guilty; the providers tell them things like they should just eat; parents are blamed; the insurance companies won't fund treatment because they think it's a choice. It's held us back for decades.