In this blog post, I’ve decided to tackle the topic of males with eating
disorders for a couple of reasons: 1) I am working with more men with
this problem than ever before and have noticed a huge rise in this
phenomenon as an Eating Disorders Therapist and 2) I feel that we don’t
discuss how boys and men are vulnerable to eating disorders enough and
how to help them avoid the eating disorder trap.

I am working with a number of men lately who engage in all kinds of
disordered eating practices and who suffer from low self-esteem and
very poor body image. Their stories have deeply touched me and forced
me to re-examine my beliefs around eating disorders being mostly a
female phenomenon.

Research backs me up on my sense that more men than ever before are
struggling with eating disorders. Dr. Mark Warren, clinical
psychiatrist and medical director of the Cleveland Center for Eating
Disorders explains that ED prevalence rates have grown substantially in
recent years: “In the 60’s and 70’s, ED in men was thought to be almost
nonexistent, in the 80’s and 90’s about 10% and now 25-30%. So all we
know is that it is more prevalent than was previously thought.”

http://www.maudsleyparents.org/boys.html

This is a staggering statistic! In less than a twenty-year period,
eating disorder rates have more than doubled for boys and men.

A study from the University of Toronto estimates that one in every six
people diagnosed with anorexia nervosa is male.

http://eatingdisorders.about.com/od/eatingdisordersinmales/p/maleEDs.htm

Interestingly, the increasingly high rate of ED’s among males is also a
Western phenomenon. A recent Harvard study found that Asian men show
less dissatisfaction with their bodies than males in the United States
and Europe. The researchers found that this is because Western males
are far more preoccupied with being muscular than Asian males.

http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2005/02.10/11-bodyimage.html

Gay males are at particularly high risk for developing eating disorders
for many reasons. I don’t have time to expand on this in such a short
article, but if you want to learn more, I have found a great resource
on this topic and suggest you read this fascinating article:

http://www.nedic.ca/knowthefacts/documents/EatingDisordersinGayMen.pdf

So why are males in Western society at such high risk? The following
information is adapted from a presentation from NEDA’s latest
conference called, “Why do Males have Eating Disorders and How do They
Get Better?” Theodore E. Weltzin, MD and Melissa Schneider, MA (Rogers
Memorial Hospital.

A few of the risk factors for males include:

ATTEMPTS AT WEIGHT LOSS-males are more likely to be overweight than
females and often resort to diets in order to lose weight. And we know
that dieting is the first step to the development of serious eating
disorders.

EXERCISE-the current body ideal in our culture for men is to be fit and
have obvious muscle definition (a good example are the Calvin Klein
underwear ads for men-what an impossible ideal to live up to!)

HIGH RISK SPORTS/ACTIVITIES-boys and men are expected to engage in
dangerous “masculine” sports like football, rock-climbing, and rugby.
These activities call for a fit, bulky body, which increases pressure
on them to live up to the body ideal called for.

Societal influences include unrealistic body ideals. For example, most
men perceive the ideal body image to be 13 kg more muscular than they
actually are. Most heterosexual men also believe that women prefer men
who are much bigger than they are.

And sadly, Yang, Gray, and Pope (2005) point out that: “In most western
societies the man’s traditional roles have declined leading some to
suggest that young men may have increasing focus on their bodies as one
the few remaining sources of masculine self-esteem.”

Lastly, research findings in males with eating disorders show that
sufferers:

. Were more likely to be obese/teased when young
. Diet to achieve a muscular body
. Often have gender identity issues
. Are often survivors of sexual abuse
. Are often involved in weight related sports
. Have experienced separation or the loss of a father while growing up

Unfortunately, it is most likely that males with eating disorders will
continue to increase in the future. Luckily, treatment is often very
effective to help these boys and men heal. Hopefully, we will learn
more about why boys and men develop eating disorders and find the most
effective approaches to helping them heal. Much more research and work
needs to go into this important area before things get even worse. I
hope this article has helped you or someone you care about to get
started on the road to recovery. I am happy to help men with ED’s in my
therapy practise either in person or via telephone or Skype. Feel free
to contact me at: esther@estherkane.com or at 250-338-1800.