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Males With Eating Disorders
The Eating disorders were once thought to be
women's diseases. No longer. The number of men with symptoms
of eating disorders has doubled in past decade. New research
out of the University of Toronto shows that 1 of every 6 people
who qualified for a full or partial diagnosis of anorexia
was male - substantially more than the 1 in 10 usually reported.
Largely under recognized and underreported in men and boys,
males are more likely to blame unnatural weight loss on physical
rather than psychological problems. In addition, it remains
taboo in our society for men to care about how they look,
so there is a greater motivation to keep body image obsessions
a secret.
Twenty percent of men with eating disorders
are reported to be homosexual. Despite controversy on the
topic of gays with eating disorders, there has, in fact, been
no proven relationship between homosexuality and eating disorders.
Gays may simply be over represented among men seeking help
because they are more willing to identify themselves, and
because their culture puts a premium on physical appearance.
Men are no more immune to the compelling forces
of the media than women have been. Men and boys feel pressured
to conform to the lean and chiseled body image stereotypes
of Hollywood and Madison Ave; where women and girls strive
to achieve thinness, men and boys look for well-developed
muscles, sleek abs, sculptured pectorals. Since the 1970's,
three times as many men have become dissatisfied with their
overall appearance. One study shows that close to half of
men between the ages of 50 and 59 were dissatisfied with their
overall appearance, as compared with 41 and 48 percent for
younger age groups. Related body image conditions include:
- BDD, body dysmorphic disorder (a severe preoccupation
with an imagined or slight defect in appearance that can
impair daily function and cause severe depression,)
- Steroid use
- And muscle dysmorphia in which men and boys believe their
muscles aren't large enough; these individuals spend inordinate
amounts of time in the weight room.
The onset of disease in males is typically triggered
by a concern with bodybuilding and sport training, an indicator
that schools and coaches can have a great deal of influence
in determining how a child thinks about himself, his body
and his priorities. They also play a significant role in prevention.
In fact, one of the chief differences between male and female
eating disorders is that disordered men are more likely than
women to be involved in sports like biking, wrestling, of
diving that require weight control. Other differences include
that facts that the average age of onset for men (15-16) is
slightly later than that for women. (14-15) In addition, men
may purge through self-induced vomiting and exercise more
readily than do women because dieting, as a device to manage
weight, is not as socially acceptable for men.
The issues of eating disorders for men are for
the most part, similar to those of women who suffer from the
same disease.
- Men suffer from with self-esteem and perfectionism.
- They seek to gain control of their lives by controlling
their bodies.
- They often suffer from depression, anxiety, alcohol or
drug abuse or other psychiatric conditions as well.
- Most have distorted image of body, seeing obesity where
others see skin and bones.
- They are at risk to suffer cardiac irregularities, electrolyte
imbalances that could lead to death, and osteoporosis, to
name a few physical side effects.
- Hormone (testosterone) levels plummet and sexual desire
vanishes.
Might you or your child have a problem?
It is important to understand that working out, or watching
what you eat, are not in themselves pathological. A problem
exists when an individual's concern about appearance interferes
with his daily life function, creating serious stress, undermining
social activities, schooling and "job status."
Observe yourself. Become aware of what you do
and why. The following is a short quiz to help you consider
whether or not you may have a problem.
- Do you worry about your appearance?
- Spend a lot of time on preening, grooming?
- Eat special foods just to improve appearance?
- Do you use behaviors around food and exercise to relieve
or resolve anxiety, depression?
- Are behaviors around eating and exercise compulsive, inflexible?
- Does excessiveness or extremism show up in other life
spheres as well?
Remember that eating disorders are a misuse
of food to resolve emotional problems. If your eating or exercise
behaviors diminish anxiety or depression, or if they double
as pseudo-solutions to emotional problems even as they address
issues of hunger and satety, it's time to seek out more effective
ways to solve problems. Professional treatment for eating
and exercise disorders generally involves anti-depressants
and psychotherapy.
Does your child have a problem? Parents
and coaches have a vital role to play in the lives of young
boys with disorders or disorders-in-the-making. If your child
does not recognize a problem, can't respond to his condition
as such, or is otherwise unwilling to do what he must to care
for himself, it is up to you as a parent to:
- Take charge.
- Know what you are looking at.
- Understand what eating disorders are.
- Talk to your child.
- Discussing an existent problem won't make it worse, but
through defining it as such, can make a solution possible.
- Get professional help.
My book, When Your Child Has an Eating Disorder:
A Step-by-Step Workbook for Parents and Other Caregivers (Jossey
Bass Publishers) offers parents all they need to know to get
their child the care he needs to recover fully and lastingly.
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About the Author:
Abigail H. Natenshon, MA LCSW has been a psychotherapist in
private practice specializing in the treatment of eating disordered
individuals and their families for the past 28 years. She
is co-founder and director of Eating Disorder Specialists
of Illinois; A Clinic without Walls, and the author of "When
Your Child Has an Eating Disorder: A Step-by-Step Workbook
for Parents and Other Caregivers" (Jossey Bass, San
Francisco, October, 1999). Visit her web sites at www.empoweredparents.com
/ www.empoweredkidZ.com
and www.treatingeatingdisorders.com
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