Bullies & Eating Disorders: Understanding the Connection and Healing

Bullying is a form of emotional, verbal, or physical harm that can leave lasting psychological effects—especially when experienced during childhood or adolescence. One of the less visible, but highly significant, outcomes of bullying is its connection to the development of eating disorders.

While eating disorders are complex, multifaceted illnesses, the role of peer victimization, body-based teasing, and chronic social stress is well-documented in the pathways leading to disordered eating. Understanding this link is essential for prevention, early intervention, and compassionate care.

How Bullying Contributes to the Development of Eating Disorders

Bullying can influence eating behaviors through a number of psychological and social mechanisms. While not every person who is bullied will develop an eating disorder, and not every person with an eating disorder has experienced bullying, the overlap is significant—especially for youth.

1. Weight-based Teasing and Body Shaming

Studies consistently show that teasing related to body shape or weight is one of the strongest predictors of disordered eating behaviors.

• Adolescents who are teased about their weight are 2–3 times more likely to engage in binge eating, purging, or restrictive dieting (Eisenberg et al., 2003).

• These effects are observed regardless of actual body size, highlighting that perception and shame are more important risk factors than weight itself.

Even a single comment—"You're too fat for that shirt," or "Are you really going to eat all that?"—can trigger or reinforce a distorted relationship with food and body image.

2. Internalization of Appearance Ideals

Bullying can increase a teen's vulnerability to internalizing societal standards of thinness or muscularity as a way to seek protection, social acceptance, or control.

• Research shows that adolescents who are bullied for their appearance are more likely to engage in body surveillance and experience body dissatisfaction, which are both risk factors for eating pathology (Thompson & Stice, 2001).

The desire to escape or fix the body that is being targeted can drive dangerous behaviors like extreme dieting, over-exercising, or purging.

3. Loss of Control and Coping Mechanisms

Bullying creates a sense of helplessness. Eating disorders can emerge as a coping strategy, offering the illusion of control or emotional numbing.

• Restriction may become a way to feel "strong" or "in control."

• Bingeing may offer temporary relief from anxiety, loneliness, or shame.

• Purging may be seen as a way to undo or punish oneself for perceived failures.

In this context, eating disorders can function like a maladaptive survival tool—harmful, but rooted in a need for safety.

4. Social Isolation and Identity Damage

Bullying often leads to withdrawal from peers, loss of trust, and damage to self-worth. This social isolation can deepen dependency on eating disorder behaviors, especially when those behaviors provide structure, distraction, or identity.

• For some adolescents, the eating disorder becomes a companion, a way to express pain, or even a way to feel special in the absence of belonging.

The more entrenched these behaviors become, the harder they are to untangle from the underlying emotional wounds.

Specific Vulnerable Populations

Certain groups may be at even higher risk:

• Adolescents with higher-weight bodies are more likely to be bullied and more likely to develop binge eating and purging behaviors (Puhl & Suh, 2015).

• LGBTQ+ youth report higher rates of bullying, body dissatisfaction, and eating disorder symptoms compared to their cisgender, heterosexual peers.

• Neurodivergent youth, such as those with autism or ADHD, may be socially marginalized and more likely to develop rigid eating behaviors or ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder).

Understanding bullying in the context of intersectional identity and vulnerability is key to developing appropriate prevention and treatment strategies.

Long-Term Effects and the Need for Trauma-Informed Treatment

The trauma of bullying can echo long after the bullying stops. Without intervention, victims may carry:

• Ongoing body image distress

• Chronic self-blame

• Difficulty trusting others

• Emotional regulation challenges

Effective treatment must go beyond food and weight restoration. A trauma-informed, relational approach that addresses the emotional impact of bullying is essential.

This includes:

• Processing shame and body hatred

• Rebuilding self-compassion and trust in the body

• Restoring healthy social connections

• Creating safety around food and in relationships

Therapies such as CBT-E, DBT, trauma-focused CBT, and Internal Family Systems (IFS) may be helpful when tailored to the client’s developmental history and needs.

What Parents and Providers Can Do

• Listen to stories about bullying—without minimizing. Even if the bullying happened years ago, it may still be affecting the individual.

• Avoid commenting on appearance. Even well-meaning comments can reinforce body surveillance and shame.

• Foster environments of safety and inclusion. Whether in clinics, schools, or homes, recovery is more likely when individuals feel seen, heard, and valued beyond their body.

• Educate teens about media literacy and body diversity. Help them develop a critical lens toward social comparison and unrealistic appearance ideals.

Final Thought

The pain of bullying doesn’t end when school lets out or when the bullying stops. For many, it becomes internalized, shaping how they see themselves, their bodies, and their worth.

But with compassionate support, education, and trauma-informed care, healing is possible. Recovery from an eating disorder includes grieving the harm, reclaiming identity, and learning that your body is not the problem—it never was.

References

• Eisenberg, M. E., Neumark-Sztainer, D., & Story, M. (2003). Associations of weight-based teasing and emotional well-being among adolescents. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 157(8), 733–738. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpedi.157.8.733

• Puhl, R. M., & Suh, Y. (2015). Health consequences of weight stigma: Implications for obesity prevention and treatment. Current Obesity Reports, 4(2), 182–190. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-015-0153-z

• Thompson, J. K., & Stice, E. (2001). Thin-ideal internalization: Mounting evidence for a new risk factor for body-image disturbance and eating pathology. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 10(5), 181–183.

• Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2005). I'm, Like, So Fat!: Helping Your Teen Make Healthy Choices about Eating and Exercise in a Weight-Obsessed World. Guilford Press.

• Puhl, R. M., & Latner, J. D. (2007). Stigma, obesity, and the health of the nation's children. Psychological Bulletin, 133(4), 557–580.