Men and Eating Disorders Essay

One reason is that, women suffer anorexia more than men based on the environmental and biological effects of anorexia. This is because women are most likely to be thin and have a very low BMI that she might feel insecure and pressured by someone/somebody else. This proves that, it “ reinforce thin people as ideal stereotypes”, “family and childhood traumas”, “peer pressure

At present, these eating disorders have an effect on roughly 25 million Americans, of which almost 25% are of the male gender. Out of all the psychological disorders, anorexia has the highest mortality rate. The whys and wherefores include malnourishment, substance abuse and reckless suicides. Eating disorders can happen to anyone; no matter whether they’re male or female, rich or poor, old or young. According to many researchers, eating disorders are caused by more than just food. There are numerous

As with females, body image among males is a prevailing symptom and underlying motivation for the development and continuation of the disorder.

It was originally considered that, like bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa, binge-eating disorders occurred in females at a rate of 10 to 1 (Striegel-Moore and Franko, 2003). But studies have shown that a significant portion of men have binge-eating disorder as well ( Early trials showed that although the samples were not separated for race or gender, it became evident that binge-eating disorder affected both differing races and genders in similar ways. These studies lead to the first “large-scale surveys to examine eating disorders in male and non-White populations” (Striegel-Moore and Franko, 2003, p. S22). Studies have shown that “approximately 29% of subjects in weight control programs met the criteria for [binge-eating disorder],” (Spitzer, Yanovski, Wadden, Wing, Marcus. Stunkard, Devlin, Mitchell, Hasin, & Horne, 1992, p. 137). Possible risk factors for binge-eating disorder are still largely unknown at this time (Striegel-Moore and Franko, 2003), although some similarities amongst clients have been identified. These include: preoccupation with body image and weight, impairment in social functioning, significant time of adult life spent dieting, and a history of mental health concerns including alcoholism, depression, and anxiety (Spitzer et al., 1992).

Eating disorders have traditionally been a “woman’s problem.” It has not been until recently that we have recognized the fact that males are suffering from these deadly disorders as well. It has been generally agreed upon that anywhere from five to 15 percent of all reported cases of eating disorders are attributed to men. This paper will examine its incidence in males and the physical and psychological aspects associated with having an eating disorder.

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)).

The two most common eating disorders are bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa. Both disorders, primarily affect young women, therefore the majority of the research on eating disorders has been done with women subjects. The onset of bulimia is between adolescence and early adulthood while the onset of anorexia is between early and late adolescence. Not only is the onset different but the disorders are unique. Bulimia nervosa is characterized by loss of control over eating which leads to food binges. These episodes are interspersed with episodes of purging, such as vomiting or laxative abuse, to keep weight down. The goal of anorexia is also to keep weight down , but to a

In her October 2013 piece, “Men's eating disorders get increased attention" for the San Francisco Gate Kristen Brown keys in on the vitality of accepting and treating males with eating disorders. Like Penn and Daly she includes some “Ignoring the prevalence of disorders among men creates a stigma that may prevent them from seeking help and a bias that might prevent clinicians or family members from recognizing a disorder in men, resulting in more of those men slipping under the radar.”

All of this is being done just because their body does not look like the media portrays. Many men do not feel overweight like women do, instead they feel underweight. Since they feel underweight, plenty of males suffer from muscle dysmorphia, the fear of having a body that is too small or not muscular enough. This will lead them to go through extreme measures to get the body that they desire. On the other hand, males also feel overweight sometimes, this causes them to develop eating

Commonly men have been somewhat obese at one point in their live before they’ve developed an eating disorder. Many problems that men face concerning weight are often influenced by athletic achievement. Usually more men than women are motivated to lose weight, or sometimes to gain weight. In a lot of cases it’s to achieve optimal performance in sports, and even in some cases, to be eligible to compete, (Strother et al., 347, 2012). A common example of this would be wrestling because wrestlers need to be able to stay in a certain weight

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.

In modern culture, women and men are becoming less satisfied with their body shape. According to a report that was done by the Federal Trade Commission, seventy percent of Americans are either trying not to maintain their weight or are trying to lose weight (Kittleson 75). To compensate for being over weight, an individual will develop an eating disorder. According to Mark Kittleson, eating disorders are when an individual eats way too much or way too little (1). There are three different types of eating disorders, anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. According to Jessica Bennett, twenty-five million people in the United States suffer from binge eating disorder and ten million women and one million men suffer from either anorexia or

Bulimia is a very sensitive subject to talk about, but also very important. There are over 200,000 cases of bulimia in the United States each year. There are many reasons as in why people start having this eating disorder. Society is a big reason, the need to please everyone around. Bulimia Nervosa does not only happen with girls, it also happens with boys. This disorder can start in the early years of life, and can end in the last years of life. More females have this eating disorder, the ratio is for every ten females a male is having this order disorder.

habit. Eating disorders can affect both males and females, but this researcher found that it affects

Eating disorders have been a common phenomenon among men, and it is no longer considered niche topic. According to Gerbasi et al. (2014), males who are suffering from this disorder have been faced with immense stigmatization in an attempt to overcome it, and they have been neglected in the treatment process. There are numerous stereotypes associated with eating disorders that have inhibited the evidence-based treatment among males and it has mitigated effectiveness in the management of problems that are gender specific. Clinicians who are often involved in treating males having eating disorders are likely to be challenged. There are limited resources addressing treatment of male’s eating disorders as most of the treatment paradigms have been directed to their female counterparts (Crisp and Burns, 2003). Although the trend is currently changing, there is need for more studies to be conducted that address issues that are gender-specific and ensure that the society have a clear knowledge on the issues facing the society.