Male Eating Disorders

     The family tends to play an important role in the development of eating disorders. Males tend to have very strict, domineering fathers who encouraged development in sports. It has also been recognized that many men with eating disorders may not have had a father figure around at all. (Zerbe, 1992) Their mothers have been described as overprotective and controlling. (Romero, 1994) Adolescent boys with eating disorders relate that parents or siblings are usually on diets as well and there tends to be an emphasis on food and dieting

Aside from having the same basic influences, men usually develop the same kinds of eating disorders associated with women. Many people think that, given the muscular appearance of the male ideal, "male" eating disorders would be different from what are considered to be "female" eating disorders. The most common eating disorders in men, however, are anorexia, bulimia and binge eating (in which the person uncontrollably eats large quantities of food but does not purge after eating), which are also very common among women who have eating disorders ((1)). Like women, men who are involved in weight-conscious sports, such as wrestling, swimming and running, are more likely to develop eating disorders than those who do not participate in such activities ((3)). The only notable difference found between men and women with eating disorders thus far is that "while women who develop eating disorders feel fat before the onset of their disordered eating...typically they are near average weight. Men are more typically overweight medically before the development of the disorder" ((3)).

Perhaps as many as one in six cases of anorexia nervosa occur in males, (ANRED http://www.anred.com). Binge eating disorder seems to occur almost equally in males and females, although males are not as likely to feel guilty or anxious after a binge as women do. It is difficult to known exactly how many males have bulimia. Some researchers believe about 15% of all cases of this disorder occurs in men. Clinics and counselors see many more females than males, but that may be because males are reluctant to confess what has become known as a "teenage girl's problem." My health professionals do not expect to see eating disorders in men and may therefore misdiagnose them.

Eating disorders are one of the most prevalent mental disorders in the United States. Although this disease is typically viewed as a female disorder, males are greatly affected and may go undiagnosed and untreated due to the attached stigma. Thus, it is important to understand the risk factors associated with the development of eating disorders in males. These risk factors include: athletic involvement, sexual orientation, pre-morbid obesity, and adverse childhood experiences. Eating disorder type and symptom presentation also varies between males and females. Males typically do not meet the criteria to be categorized as Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa, causing their condition to be classified as Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified. Symptom presentation is likely to include binge eating and excessive exercise rather than restrictive eating, purging, or other compensatory methods commonly seen in the female population. Several eating disorder assessments are available for use in clinical practice, most of which have been geared toward the female gender. New assessments, such as the Eating Disorder Assessment for Males, have been developed recently to try to hone in on the typical male symptomatology and their psychological processes. Prompt treatment of eating disorders, regardless of gender, is necessary to prevent the development of medical and psychological comorbidities. This process cannot begin until the diagnosis has been made; therefore, additional

Eating disorders are especially common among athletes because the pressure of the sport environment frequently precipitates the onset of these problems. In this population, certain compulsive behaviors such as excessive exercise and restricted eating patterns are seen as acceptable, and pathogenic methods of weight control are often introduced. In addition, concern about body size and shape is increased because of the "social influence for thinness [from coaches and peers], anxiety about athletic performance, and negative self-appraisal of athletic achievement" (Williamson et al. 1995). Finally, the competitive nature of sports reinforces characteristics such as "perfectionism, high achievement

He covers the struggle of multiple men within his article starting with how they developed the disorder to how difficult it was for them to receive help for their problem. Like women, male eating disorder victims usually do not want to seek help but unlike their female counterparts, males typically have a hard time finding recovery facilities with people like them that focuses on treating just males. Since males are not typical patients they are usually the only man receiving treatment and are secluded or feel out of place when in inpatient recovery. Anyone getting help for an eating disorder should be able to feel comfortable and males do not generally get that opportunity. Many other popular source authors today are concurring with Penn and Daly views and are attempting to call more awareness to the raising deadly situation.

Protruding rib cages, frail bones, and thin hair, these symptoms often come to mind for many physicians and therapists alike when they think of someone suffering from an eating disorder. What about overly health conscience, extreme muscle mass, and obsessively exercising? New disorders like Muscle Dysmorphia are being discovered in males that have not been brought to the forefront of news today. The male population is severely under calculated and usually passed over when people cover statistics and findings for eating disorders. This stigma and stance that people have while thinking only females suffer from eating disorders only makes it more difficult for males to admit they have a problem and seek treatment for it before it gets too

There is a false impression that individuals suffering from an eating disorders are only females. This generates the disappearing void of representation for males who are battling with an eating disorder. The development of body image can vary over the generations due to the ever-changing sociocultural aspects of the time. The common standards relayed by media are often portrayed with the division between genders. At a young age, girls are taught to value beauty and boys are taught to value strength. While at an older age, women are obsessed with their weight and men are concerned with physical fitness. Awareness of males with eating disorders will bring down the confined walls of factors like gender and sexuality.

How do eating disorders affect men? Though most people view eating disorders as women’s diseases, men can suffer from them too. This question is important because eating disorders seem to be gender biased, and not a lot of thought or research has been put towards men with eating disorders. The three major eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. Around 30 million people will suffer from one of these three diseases over their lifetime. Men make up 10 million of these, a significant portion, but people still see eating disorders as affecting mostly women. Part of this reason, though, is that eating disorders are seen as for women only, so some men who have an eating disorder will not seek treatment

Eating disorders are abolishing people day by day. According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, up to 24 million people of all ages and genders suffer from an eating disorder in the United States. These mental monsters are not physical, but they are mentally destroying a person’s thoughts, which effect their overall actions. Not only are eating disorders caused by unrealistic societal expectations, but the monsters come out through the psychological aspects as well.

Western society tells girls they should be slim and petite whereas boys are supposed to be muscular and fit. While there are those who luckily could not care less about societal expectations, there are those who feel dangerous amounts of pressure to conform and fit to these external standards. In order to be slim or fit, many take drastic measures such as starving themselves or purging which can lead to the development of eating disorders. Many wonder, however, who is more likely to form eating disorders: males or females. While it is proven that unfortunately high numbers of females form eating disorders, some question the statistics of males with eating disorders and wonder if the comparative statistics are not nearly as skewed as thought

Imagine a disease eating its innocent victim alive, some of them being noticed and others not at all. The mental thoughts going on are making the body suffer and continuing to get worse and worse. The sufferer is mentally breaking down more and more each day. This diseases known as an eating disorder affects about 30 million individuals in the United States alone (Eating Disorders 101 Guide, 2003). This number is alarming and needs to be tremendously decreased. Athletes are the most dominant group that eating disorders prey upon, but the question is why. In most sports, athletes are required to be in perfect shape in order to produce excellence. Coaches will push the athletes as hard as they can, many times causing the sportsperson to break

Many preventive programs are designed specifically for women and few are tailored to men. Current studies have been executed on certain risk factors, such as sexual orientation, past jobs, or athletics in the development and prevalence of EDs in men. Determining which of these factors best explains these differences are uncertain and more researchers are beginning to explore these different lifestyle choices. While following papers have investigated the role of these factors and the need to seek more insight in male eating disorders, in order to create more gender based programs in the hope of recovering from an eating

More women worry about their weight than men. It is a fact that among the adults, 38% of the women and 24% of the men were trying to lose weight. When you hear about Anorexia and Bulimia most people think of females. What people do not know is tons of males suffer from the same problem. I believe males should be more looked upon when it comes to this subject. Gymnasts, runners, body builders, rowers, wrestlers, racers, dancers, and swimmers are especially helpless against dietary problems on the grounds that their games require weight limitation. Approximately 10% of eating disordered individuals coming to the attention of mental health professionals were male, and Eating disorders do not discriminate on the basis of gender. Men can and do develop eating disorders.

Eating disorders are serious disorders that have a negative impact on both the psychological and the physiological well-being of the afflicted (Welch, Ghader, & Swenne, 2015). Studies concerning eating disorders are showing more and more frequency in younger age groups and especially in those who are athletes, diabetics, and obese adolescents (Martin & Golden, 2014). This tells us that symptoms of eating disorders can be caught and treated during adolescence. Today, many schools have very little class time dedicated to educating students about healthy lifestyles. Little, to no information is given about what eating disorders are or how to avoid the development of one. If information is provided about the prevention of eating disorders, it is usually in the form of a video or discussed briefly in a textbook. Schools are not doing enough in the fight against the development of eating disorders. Many studies have shed some light on the issue of eating disorders by conducting surveys and developing new programs to use in schools. The primary prevention of eating and body image problems among young people, and in particular, adolescents, is emerging as one of the most desirable achievements in contemporary health and nutrition (O 'Dea J. , 2000). Primary prevention programs, and better education in general, for the prevention of eating disorders and promotion of healthy lifestyles needs to be established in schools. The purpose of this paper is to propose more education