Just like girls and women, boys and men develop
eating disorders. And the numbers are increasnig. More and more men are feeling
the pressure to be thin and look good and want to change their bodies to be more
perfect.
The stereotypical anorexic, bulimic,
and binge eater is female. This stereotype is a myth.
"All my friends had a girlfriend - except for me. I became loneley
and depressed and started to use alcohol and food to fill that awful feeling of
emptiness inside of me."
Males often begin an eating disorder at older ages than females do, and they
more often have a history of obesity or overweight.
It is no uncommon
for men suffering with an eating disorder to also struggle with alcoholism and/or
drug abuse at the same time (though many women also suffer both disordered eating
and substance abuse problems combined)
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 are sure to do.
Heterosexual
males are not exposed to the same intense cultural pressures to be thin that women
and girls endure. On the other hand, homosexual men with eating disorders tend
to be judged in the gay community on their physical attractiveness in much the
same way that women are judged in the heterosexual community.
Eating-disordered
males differed significantly from eating-disordered females in terms of sexual
experience in a study conducted by Herzog et al. (1984). Males with eating disorders
were significantly less likely to have had sexual relations before the onset of
their eating disorder, or to be involved in a sexual relationship at the time
of evaluation than were females with eating disorders. Males with bulimia, however,
appear to be more sexually active than males with anorexia, both premorbidly and
at the time of their illness (Pope et al., 1986).
The
most important thing to remember isthat most of the underlying psychological
factors that lead to an eating disorder are the same for both, men and women.
Low self-esteem, a need to be accepted, depression, anxiety or other existing
psychological illness, and an inability to cope with emotions and personal issues.
All of the physical dangers and complications associated with having an eating
disorder are the same.
The same kind
of help is provided for both, men and women, but often men feel uncomfortable
using them. The are ashamed by their behaviour and feel unmanly because the have
a "women's disorder". When a man finds the courage to enter a treatment
program, he may be the only male in a group of women.
An estimated 10 of eating disordered
individuals are male. Girls and women are 10 times more likely than boys and men
to suffer from an eating disorder.
About 20% 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.
There are
many female celebrities who have come out into the open with their eating disorder
struggles, but there are only a few male celebrities coming forward and going
public about their struggles with an eating disorder.
The following men are very courageous
to talk about their eating disorder and I'd like to thank them for their
honesty, courage and openness.
Silverchair
lead singer Daniel Johns suffered from an eating disorder and went public
about his struggles with anorexia. In the song "Ana's Song" (from Neon
Ballroom album), Daniel talks about his experience with an eating disorder. Click
here to read the lyrics of "Ana's Song".
Elton
John has gone public about his struggles with bulimia, as well as a less common
eating disorder of chewing and spitting.
Actor Billy Bob Thornton
has been open about his weight issues and went public with his struggles with
anorexia.
Actor Dennis Quaid spoke out about his battle with anorexia
in the mid-1990s which he developed because he had to lose some weight for a role
in a movie. "My arms were so skinny that I couldn't pull myself out of a pool.
... For many years, I was obsessed about what I was eating, how many calories
it had, and how much exercise I'd have to do."
Actor Matthew Perry
(Friends) was battling an eating disorder in the past.
"The King of
Rock and Roll" Elvis Presley suffered bipolar disorder (a more technical
term for manic depression) and struggled substance abuse, an eating disorder and
chronic depression. It is now known fact that Elvis died in 1977 as a result of
drug addiction by self medicating on prescription drugs and very bad eating habits.
Director Alfred Hitchcock struggled with compulsive eating.
Musician
Richey James struggled with anorexia.
Former Beattle and music legend
John Lennon struggled with an eating disorder. Before John's murder in
1980 in New York, he was severely anorexic.
Former Coronation Street actor
Adam Rickitt struggled with bulimia at the age of 16. "I was frightened
and doing my best to keep it a secret." "I used food to escape depression. After
just 5 months, my bulimia had taken over my life. My weight had plummeted, I looked
absolutely awful. I constantly wore a scarf to try and cover up my gaunt face."
Fitness and diet guru Richard Simmons suffered from an eating disorder
in the past.
Singer and actor Adam Ant (one of the most charismatic
and revolutionary pop stars of the 1980s) struggled with manic depression, battled
anorexia and had suicidal tendencies.
Poet Franz Kafka, who wrote the short story "The
Hunger Artist", suffered from anorexia.
Businessman David Beckermert, a successful CEO and
President of a billion-dollar Calgary oil and gas company,
openly talked about his struggle with bulimia, which he suffered
with for most of his adult life. He began bulimic behavior
when he was in university. He admitted to purging a couple
of times a day, feeling out of control and powerless. "I'd
overeat, then go to the bathroom and puke. I didn't think
about it any more than I did washing my hands or brushing
my teeth," he says in an interview (The Vancouver Sun, 2007).
Now, he would now like to lessen his job as an executive and
send more energy helping others with eating disorders and
emotional eating issues.
Skinny Boy: A Young Man's Battle and Triumph Over Anorexia
by Gary A Grahl
Publisher:
American Legacy Media
Publication Date:
October 1, 2007
ISBN: 0976154749
This compelling memoir is the first to
describe how a young man overcame this often fatal disorder.
Handsome and popular, Gary had baseball abilities that
had attracted the attention of the big leagues, until
a shaming inner-voice convinced him that he needed to
be thinner, leading to an out-of-control compulsion
to exercise and starve himself, causing multiple hospitalizations.
Providing strategies for tackling the recovery process
and examples of changes in the thinking needed to take
those steps, this important narrative comes at a time
when eating disorders are at an all-time high in America,
afflicting more than 8 million men. Demonstrating how
anyone can win the internal battle between mind and
body, this much-needed biography offers therapists,
sufferers, and their families with powerful tools to
help them triumph over this life and death battle.
Boys Get Anorexia Too: Coping with
Male Eating Disorders in the Family
by Jenny Langley
Publisher: Paul Chapman Educational
Publishing
Publication Date:
February 15, 2006
ISBN:1412920221
This unique and important book combines
a mine of information with a readable and engaging case
study. The author was shocked and horrified when her
son developed anorexia at the age of twelve. Having
a research background, she naturally turned her attention
to finding out as much as she could about how best to
combat this terrifying illness. Her son is now fully
recovered and has supported this book that not only
describes their experiences, but also provides a practical
guide on how to cope with male eating disorders.
My Life As A Male Anorexic by Michael Krasnow
Males
are Anorexics, too
Publisher: Haworth Press Publication
Date: August 1, 1996 ISBN: 1-560-238-836
It is the autobiographical account of
a young man's ongoing struggle with anorexia. Michael Krasnow has had anorexia
since 1984, and he chronicles his daily struggles, feelings, and experiences in
this book. He writes in a relaxed, easygoing manner that makes the book appealing
to all readers. While ignoring statistics and not pretending to be an expert on
the disorder, Michael simply tells readers what his life is like and how anorexia
has effected - even controlled - it.
Males With Eating Disorders by Arnold Andersen
Publisher:
Brunner/Mazel Publication Date: April 1, 1990 ISBN: 0-876-305-567
This book is the only comprehensive and practical
guide to research and clinical studies of eating disorder in males.
Three
main sections cover history and sociocultural perspectives, clinical and psychometric
studies, and treatment and outcome.
Making Weight: Healing Men's Conflicts with Food,
Weight, and Shape by Arnold Andersen
Publisher:
Gurze Books Publication Date: April 21, 2000 ISBN: 0-936-077-352
This is the first book to explore why so many of
today's men are experiencing problems that have traditionally been considered
"women's issues."
It offers practical solutions for men who
are suffering from anorexia, bulimia, compulsive overeating, excessive exercise,
steroid abuse, sexual uncertainty based on appearance, or body dissatisfaction.
The book is filled with vignettes from their patients; social and historical perspectives;
facts about genetics, masculinity, and nutrition; Holbrook's own personal experience
in overcoming anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive exercise; and an overview of treatment
approaches.
The Adonis Complex: The Secret Crisis of Male Body Obsession
by Harrison Pope, Katharine Phillips, Roberto Olivardia
Publisher:
Free Press Publication Date: April 30, 2000 ISBN: 0-684-869-101
More than ever men are struggling with the same enormous
pressure to achieve physical perfection that women have dealt with for centuries.
From
compulsive weightlifting to steroid use, from hair plugs to cosmetic surgery,
growing numbers of men are taking the quest for perfect muscles, skin, and hair
too far, crossing the line from normal interest to pathological obsession.
This new obsession with appearance, known s the Adonis Complex,
afflicts boys and men of al ages and from all walks of life.This groundbreaking
book offers hope and help for the men caught in the oppressive cycle of body obsession.
A down-to-earth program for change including diagnostic tools, a quiz to help
readers identify the extent of their body image concerns, and stories of many
boys and men. With this book, men suffering from the Adonis Complex will have
the power to change their lives.
Males With Eating Disorders - by
Abigail Natenshon - 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.
Skinny
Boy - The first book about anorexia from the male
perspective - Many books have been written about the
female experience with eating disorders, but "Skinny
Boy" is the only, first-person account of how a young
man overcame anorexia, a growing epidemic among males.
Gary Grahl was handsome, popular, and his athletic
abilities attracted the attention of the big leagues...
that was until “IT,” a shaming inner-voice convinced
him to be ever thinner. His out-of-control compulsion
to exercise and starve himself led to multiple hospitalizations,
and a life and death battle to win control over the
pervasive and dangerous “IT.” Skinny Boy is a powerful
story showing how to win the internal battle between
mind and body, and triumph over the out-of-control thoughts
and feelings common in many of us.
Stories
from Men with Eating Disorders - At least one million men in the U.S. have
eating disorders. Most of them go undiagnosed, so they struggle silently. We have
to support
these guys and not add to their pain by diminishing it!
