Final answer:
Yes, stress can cause eating disorders and depression. Environmental factors, genetic factors, and biochemical imbalances play a role in the development of eating disorders. Stress can contribute to these factors and worsen symptoms.
Step-by-step explanation:
Yes, stress can cause eating disorders and depression. Environmental factors such as being abused as a child, tight parental control over eating habits, fragile self-identity, and social isolation can increase the risk of developing eating disorders. Additionally, the cultural idealization of thinness in females may contribute to anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Moreover, stress can also be a major factor in the development of depression.
Genes play a role in eating disorders, as having a close biological relative with an eating disorder increases one's own risk. There may also be a biochemical level involvement, with dysregulation of neurotransmitters and hormones like leptin and ghrelin affecting appetite and eating behavior. Stress can contribute to the dysregulation of these factors and worsen symptoms of eating disorders and depression.
References: van Praag, H. M. (2005). Can stress cause depression?. The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, 6(S2), 5–22. Eating Disorders. (n.d.). Retrieved from LibreTexts™