Does Bullying Cause Eating Disorders?
Recently, the mother of a girl with anorexia* sued her daughter’s school for bullying. The mother said that three boys bullied her daughter, calling her “fat,” and that the bullying led to the eating disorder. Experts at The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) says that it’s unlikely that bullying caused the girl’s eating disorder. They say that many different factors lead to eating disorders, including a girl’s desire to be perfect, problems at home, or other stress. Eating disorders are a mental illness*, which means that sometimes, there is no clear reason why a girl gets an eating disorder. What do you think? Do you think bullying can cause an eating disorder? What other effects does bullying have on girls? Is bullying a problem for you or in your school? What should schools do to stop it? Talk about it in the comments, ask questions and give advice at Ask a Girl, and discuss in the Shout Out! message boards. When it comes to bullying and eating disorders, we need to speak
