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.
Director Alfred
Hitchcock struggled with compulsive eating.
Musician Richey James
struggled with anorexia.
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.
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!
Receive every month recovery success
stories, recovery tips, interviews with eating disorder experts, authors, and
women and men who recovered, and more...
