They also tended to have mothers who were concerned about their own weight, and who chronically dieted to control their own weight. Many young women with eating disorders also exhibit lower self-esteem and anxiety. Families may actually contribute to the disorder by admiring the sufferers' thinness and ability to exercise "control" over their eating habits.

Bulimics also have several common characteristics. They tend to be from the same social group as anorexics, and they tend to come from families with a history of weight problems or concerns. In fact, many bulimia patients have mothers with more body mass, and this factor is inheritable, so bulimia, or the physical aspect of it, can run in families. In addition, family members often remember bulimia patients being heavier or larger in late childhood and into adolescence. A history of teasing also tends to be common in these patients (Smolak, Levine, and Striegel-Moore 287)....
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