Men struggle with eating disorders, too

By Dayton (Ohio) Daily News

Traditionally thought of as affecting mostly women, eating disorders among men are on the rise.

Harvard research results from the first national study of eating disorders in a population of nearly 3,000 adults found 25 percent of those with anorexia or bulimia and 40 percent of binge eaters were men. It was previously thought that men accounted for only about 10 percent of anorexia and bulimia cases.

Bulimia is an eating disorder characterized by gorging of food followed by purging or other methods to control weight, while anorexia is self-starvation marked by the refusal or inability to maintain normal weight combined with intense fear of gaining weight. Binge eating is the uncontrolled consumption of large amounts of food, and here, too, the number of men suffering from the condition is increasing.

Of the three eating disorders, binge eating is the only one considered nonlife-threatening, and not officially recognized as a psychiatric disorder.

Many active, thin males with extremely low body fat levels are looked upon as fit and healthy, when if fact, they may be struggling with an eating disorder. Due to the stigma attached, along with a reluctance to admit lack of control, men are less likely than women to seek treatment. Evidence suggests that among some clinicians, making a diagnosis of an eating disorder in a male patient is less likely to occur than with female patients, despite identical behavior. Men are more likely to be diagnosed with having depression when significant appetite changes occur than receive a primary diagnosis of an eating disorder.

The lack of discussion on this subject among men is in part cultural. Socially, women are much more likely than men to talk about personal problems or display their emotions, while men tend not to share such information.

Compulsive exercise and eating disorders often go hand in hand. Anorexics are usually high achievers and perfectionists who need to feel in control. Overexercising and undereating not only help the individual feel in control but also assist in helping them to avoid having to deal with feelings and emotions.

If you or someone you know is suffering with anorexia, bulimia or binge eating, it is important to know that help is available by contacting your family doctor, a psychologist, mental health center or specialist in eating disorders.