"Äta bör man annars dör man" : Att beskriva och jämföra de argument som används för att förklara och förstå problematiskt förhållande till mat

Sammanfattning: The main purpose of this paper was to attempt to explain and to understand the causes of various types of eating disorders. The intention of the essay was to examine who are the different parties acting in this particular field that through research or other kinds of work, come to meet individuals that suffer from some kind of eating disorder. The aim was to explore the different concepts used within this specific field, and what main theories and viewpoints that exist within it. The methods used in the study were two. The essay was based mainly on a literature review, and in order to further highlight the different perspectives a number of qualitative interviews were conducted in addition to this. These methods aimed to give an overview of the different perspectives and standpoints that exist within the field of eating disorders. The conclusions drawn in this study were several. The results showed a relative consensus regarding the main causes for developing eating disorders. In general, the different parties acting in the field agree that in order to understand the causes of different kinds of eating disorders, a multi-factorial and interdisciplinary view has to be taken. On the other hand, different parties focus on different causes depending on their own perspective, and the existing treatments have emerged based on these different perspectives. Furthermore, the study showed that eating disorders are mainly defined as a disease, attributed with a number of criteria for diagnosis, and not as a social problem.