Probably more guys than most people think have some form of disordered eating and body image, although it isn’t as widely known or talked about. According to the American Journal of Psychiatry, 2001, researchers find that for every four females with anorexia, there is one male. And for every eight to11 females with bulimia, there is one male. Binge eating disorder seems to occur almost equally in males and females, although men are not as likely to feel guilty or anxious after a binge as a woman.
Most of the underlying psychological factors that lead to an eating disorder are the same for men and women: Low self-esteem, a need to be accepted, depression, anxiety or other pre-existing psychological illness and an inability to cope with personal issues and emotions.
All of the physical dangers and complications are the same and a great number of the causes are the same or similar (family problems, relationship issues, alcoholic/addictive parent, abuse, societal pressure). The two areas where there may be a significant distinction are that men tend to develop bulimia a little older than women and more men have been obese in the past.
Anorexia is described as self-starving and, even if very underweight, having a distorted image of their bodies as being fat. Binge eating is described as impulsive gorging or continuous eating. Bulimia is binge eating and then purging by self-induced vomiting, laxatives, prolonged fasting and/or excessive exercise.
Because eating disorders are usually described as female problems, males are often reluctant to admit they are in trouble and need help. There is an extra stigma and denial that comes into play. Often, like many women with disordered eating, men hide what they are doing so well that their disorder is camouflaged and no one is remotely aware of the extent of their difficulties.
Most treatment programs and support groups also have been designed for females, and males report feeling uncomfortable and out of place. Nevertheless, like females, males need professional help to recover. The sooner treatment is begun, the sooner the person can turn their life around. The longer symptoms are ignored or denied, the more difficult the work will be when it’s finally undertaken.
National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is Feb. 22 to 29 this year.
Watch for upcoming campus events and participate in USM’s online screening at www.mentalhealthscreening.org (key word: HUSKY)
For additional reading try The Adonis Complex: The Secret Crisis of Male Body Obsession, by Harrision G. Pope, Jr. M.D.
Sources for this article: www.nationaleatingdisorders.org
www.anred.com/males
www.bc.edu
sundial.csun.edu