My Experience

My experience researching this topic was very interesting.  At first, I didn’t think that I would find a lot of information on eating disorders and their affect on males, but I was proven wrong.  As soon as I started researching for my third and fourth post I was really surprised to find out that while many men suffer from eating disorders not a lot of them are diagnosed.  My feelings quickly changed to anger when I found out that not many programs are available for males with eating disorders.  It reminded me of an episode of “American Dad” titled “The American Dad After School Special.”  In the episode the father, Stan, suffers from anorexia and is forced to go into treatment where he is surrounded by teenage girls.  The therapist speaking to the group almost mocks Stan and calls him a girl many times.  While this example is meant to be seen as a joke, some people actually look at this situation and think it is true.  The truth is men get eating disorders!  

I really think everyone needs to educate themselves on the problems of eating disorders.  They need to understand that anyone of any race, age, status, and gender can have an eating disorder.  Hopefully once people educate themselves men will be able to come forth, without the fear of judgement and embarrassment, and seek treatment. I know it's not going to be easy breaking the stigma especially when women are still being judged when having an eating disorder, but the struggle to end the misconceptions surrounding eating disorders will get easier even if it does not end.   

Additional Resources on Males with Eating Disorders

1.) Starving in Suburbia- I have mentioned this film many times due to it's captivating portrayal of anorexia and its affect on an entire family.  I was able to find the film on YouTube and I really recommend those interested to check it out.   
2.) Mirror Mirror: Eating Disorders- This website further explains the problem of men that suffer from eating disorders and the importance of breaking the stigma.  
3.) Let's Talk about Male Eating Disorders- This is an article from the CNN website that explains Brian Cuban's story about suffering from bulimia.  He also wrote a memoir titled "Shattered Image" which describes his struggle with bulimia.  
4.) Skinny Boy: A Young Man's Battle and Triumph Over Anorexia- This is a memoir by Gary A. Grahl and his battle with anorexia.  The link actually takes you to an amazon page, but I recommend reading this book in order to realize that men do suffer from anorexia.
5.) Clinical Features of Muscle Dysmorphia among Males with Body Dysmorphic Disorder- This article further explains the disorder muscle dysmorphia, also known as reverse anorexia.  

Suggested Solutions to Prevent Eating Disorders in Males

1.) Speak up.  Have more programs available for males to participate in, in school as well as outside of school.  Stop judging men and boys who suffer from eating disorders and give them a safe space to speak about what they are experiencing.  

2.) Stop the stigma.  We need to break the continuance of negativity surrounding men with eating disorders.  

3.) Take precautions.  Have psychiatrists and nutritionist on hand in sports teams to ensure that the athletes are taking healthy steps.  

For more prevention tips click here. 

Summary of Males with Eating Disorders

Eating disorders occurring in men are a major problem affecting our society.  Especially since there is a lack of knowledge on the effects of eating disorders that appear within men.  Males that have eating disorders may not believe that they do have a problem or fail to acknowledge that they have a disorder because of the stigma attached to men with bulimia or anorexia.  The fact is that 1 out of every 5 men suffer from different types of eating disorders and this number may be even more including those that go undiagnosed.  The diagnostic criteria drastically needs to change it’s standards in order to include men in it’s list for symptoms.  The stigma needs to stop now because if we continue to dismiss males with eating disorders we are only adding to the problem.  With the silence we continue to allow many young boys and men to suffer alone.  

If you wanted to read a story on a child that suffers with an eating disorder click here.  

"Eating Disorders Don't Discriminate"

Male eating disorders are intersectional issues because they affect all age groups.  Not only adult men have eating disorders, but teens and even young boys may develop anorexia nervosa or bulimia.  In fact, eating disorders in males mostly begin between the ages of 14 and 25.  Eating disorders also affect men with any type of sexual preference.  Not only gay or bisexual men suffer from an eating disorder, however 20% of males with an eating disorder were gay.  While many people may believe that eating disorders may only affect white women, the truth is that eating disorders occur in all ethnicities and cultures.  

For more facts about men with eating disorders click here

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High School and Male Eating Disorders

High school seems to really be affected by eating disorders.  During high school teens begin to feel pressured about losing weight.  Females aren’t the only ones facing this pressure as males are also teased for being either too big or too small.  Sports can also play a role in eating disorders for males as they must make weight or lose weight in order to be fast enough.  High school’s should be concerned by this problem because eating disorders may lead to even bigger problems like self-harm and even death.  An interesting example of a male teen suffering from a eating disorder in high school is from the film “Starving in Suburbia.”  The teen begins suffering from anorexia because of the pressure from his father to lose weight for wrestling.  Although his sister is suffering from the same disease and the parents are aware of the symptoms, they look the other way when the brother exhibits the same behavior.  

For further information on the affect of eating disorders in high school click here. 

Everyday Example of a Man with an Eating Disorder

An example I viewed was from an episode of “Intervention.”  His name was Andrew and he was an 18 year old bulimic.  Andrew became bulimic because of the lack of control in his life.  Coming from a white upper class family things became hard for Andrew when his father left his family in pursuit of a better job.  He ended up moving states away for 9 months of the year.  This made Andrew feel abandoned which didn’t help him much since he was being bullied in school due to his weight.  While in high school Andrew joined the ROTC program and lost some weight, which he was praised for.  When Andrew was 17 he enrolled in the Marine Corps, however things did not go well in boot camp.  Andrew was soon bullied by other recruits and later was even sexually abused by another recruit.  He attempted to tell someone he felt would help, but they just forced him to keep quiet.  This event made Andrew lose all respect for the Marine Corps and he was soon after discharged.  Once he returned home Andrew was seen as a quitter and felt unwanted, this lead to his excessive weight loss and bulimia.  

Andrew seems to exhibit this negative behavior in order to feel like he has control over something.  He lacked control over being bullied, abused, and abandoned, but once he started binging and purging he was able to control his body.  Andrew always wanted to make his own choices and when he lacked a choice is when he would become violent and begin to binge and purge.  He yearned for this negative behavior because he loved the way it made him feel.  Andrew felt powerful because he had the decision to make himself purge, no one else can make him do it.    Situations like Andrew’s are very common especially if bullying is involved.  Some eating disorders in men have a lot to do with control and they grow addicted to the feeling they get no matter what the repercussions are.  

For a short video on Andrew click here.

Analysis of "Eating Disorders in Men: Current Considerations"

The purpose of the essay “Eating Disorders in Men: Current Considerations,” written by Jeffery A. Harvey and John D. Robinson, is to analyze literature regarding eating disorders and trends in the U.S. that can lead to these kinds of disorders in men.  It claims that men go undiagnosed for eating disorders due to the old assumption that they are “women’s disorders.”  They also say that men suffer from eating disorders due to the media’s portrayal of the “perfect” body image.  Due to this false portrayal of men they are likely to develop muscle dysmorphia, also known as reverse anorexia because instead of wanting to be thin men are compulsively trying to gain weight in the form of muscle.  Harvey and Robinson explain that men go undiagnosed because the diagnostic criteria does not account towards men with eating disorders.  I wonder, since this essay was from 2003, if the diagnostic criteria changed?  Young boys also become affected by the media’s portrayal of men.  From a young age boys are taught that men are supposed to be very muscular which can lead to them participating in steroid use when they get older.  I agree with that statement because I do have a younger brother and he believes that the normal male physique includes a six pack.

Harvey and Robinson explain that men may not be diagnosed for anorexia nervosa because the diagnostic criteria includes amenorrhea, which is the absence of menstruation,  even though both men and women share the same symptoms.  They also state that females are more compulsive in terms of dieting and weight control rituals compared to men.  I disagree because I know some male athletes and they are much more compulsive when it comes to dieting than I am.  This source differ from my previous sources by focusing more on how the disorder is diagnosed and how the media affects men in a negative way.  The essay claims that men who suffer from an eating disorder also have a large percent chance of suffering from a psychological disorder as well.  

Analysis of "Eating Disorders in the Male Athlete"

       Antonia Baum’s paper titled “Eating Disorders in the Male Athlete” focuses on the cause of eating disorders in male athletes, the phenomenology, as well as the treatment of the disorder.  The cause of eating disorders amongst athletes in general seems to be because of the need to succeed.  Baum goes as far to say that negative coaching plays a large part in an athletes eating habits.  Although male and female athletes may have different types of eating disorders, both present themselves quite similarly and can even be treated the same way.  The idea of masculinity is a big part in why men become affected by this disease.  Men, predominantly those in contemporary Western society, believe that men need to be big and strong in order to classify themselves as a real man.

Many men that participate in sports in which they must maintain a low body fat percentage, like diving, gymnastics, and figure skating,  develop an eating disorder.  Muscle dysmorphia, similar to body dysmorphic disorder, occurs in many men who participate in weight lifting and those that are body builders.  This form of body dysmorphia may lead to extended steroid use in order to achieve the “perfect body.”  Surprisingly Baum states that sports that require the athlete to make weight are known to encourage the athlete to develop an eating disorder.  The most common form of eating disorder found in these type of situations is binging and purging which is where a person eats a lot of food and then uses laxatives or self-induced vomiting in order to keep the weight off.  

In many cases these eating disorder can be a lifelong problem, but early treatment can prevent further damage.  Baum suggests that psychiatrists, primary care doctors, and nutritionists should become involved in team sports in order to prevent the stigma that male athletes do not suffer from eating disorders.  I am in agreement with Baum’s suggestion and believe that education on eating disorders may indeed prevent them from happening.  This suggestion also makes me wonder if any steps have been taken to prevent male and female athletes from getting eating disorders.  However, I disagree with Baum’s idea that a coaches approach to their athlete might be different due to their gender.  This source’s approach differs from that of the web source I analyzed by taking a more formal and statistical viewpoint of eating disorders.  

Analysis of The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders

The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders states that eating disorders are not only common amongst white teenage girls, like many people believe, but eating disorders also occur within every culture, status, and gender.  Actually, 1 in every 10 men suffer from an eating disorder.  It goes on to say that while women diet as a first resort, men diet only as a final choice.  The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, also known as ANAD, explains that men who are athletes, go through bullying, or trying to achieve the “perfect body” according to social norms are the most likely to experience an eating disorder.  Binge eating, along with anorexia nervosa, seems to seriously affect both men and women, however men are not as likely to evoke attention than women.  ANAD, surprisingly, mentions that male eating disorders go undiagnosed because doctors are less likely to report the issue.  This problem affects young boys because they then believe that eating disorders are a “woman’s disease,” and feel ashamed of their illness.  I do agree that eating disorders appear in every culture, status, and gender, but I disagree that a man’s last resort is dieting.  Many athletes begin their workout regimen by dieting and working out helps them gain muscle.  A person interested in the topic of male eating disorders might ask why doctors aren’t taking the proper steps in order to prevent the stigma of eating disorders that occur within men.  

To view the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders website click here.