EATING DISORDER FACTS YOU NEVER CAME ACROSS BECAUSE THEY WEREN’T ABOUT WOMEN

Image source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-cuban/men-eating-disorders_b_4150441.html

Often we dismiss eating disorders as a female only issue but just because no one talks about it, it doesn’t mean its not there. Here are some facts to think about:

1. Approximately one third of people with eating disorders are males
2. There are as many men as women who want to change their weight
3. Eating disorders assessment tests often underscore males
4. Additionally, prevalence of eating disorders in males is greater than estimated because men are often too stigmatized to seek treatment for “women’s problems”
5. Subclinical eating disorder behaviours such as binge eating, purging, laxative abuse and fasting are nearly as common among males as they are in females
6. Despite popular beliefs, eating disorders have never been “women’s diseases,” it’s always affected both genders.
7. The earliest case descriptions of anorexia nervosa by Richard Morton in 1690 included cases of a man and a woman
8. The risk of mortality for males with an eating disorder is higher than it is for females
9. Media objectification and sexualization of males is just as rampant for males as for females
10. A high percentage of comorbid conditions exist for males in treatment, such as excessive exercise, poor body image, and issues with sexuality

IH

Sources:

https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/research-males-and-eating-disorders