Male Eating Disorders Essay - 2485 Words

Eating Disorders in Males Eating disorders have traditionally been a â€Å"woman’s problem.† It has not been until recently that we have recognized the fact that males are suffering from these deadly disorders as well. It has been generally agreed upon that anywhere from five to 15 percent of all reported cases of eating disorders are attributed to men. This paper will examine its incidence in males and the physical and psychological aspects associated with having an eating disorder. First lets look at the history of eating disorders. The very first case of an eating disorder diagnosed was actually a male. In 1689, Dr. Richard Morton described a case of â€Å"nervous consumption† in a 16-year-old male and he was prescribed restraint from†¦show more content†¦(Crosscope-Happel, Hutchins, Hayes, 2000) Studies have shown that over one million males are affected with anorexia nervosa yearly. (Crosscope-Happel, Hutchins, Hayes, 2000) Some have suggested that these numbers are on the rise as the media continues to assert a more and more unattainable goal of beauty on the public. The majority of the population suffering from eating disorders is female, so lets look at the general prototype of a patient. She is generally a teenager, from a middle to upper class background and white. She generally excels at schoolwork and extra-curricular activities, and is often times labeled a perfectionist. How does this differ from a male with eating disorders? Not all that much actually, he also does well in school although sports tend to be overemphasized. The family tends to play an important role in the development of eating disorders. Males tend to have very strict, domineering fathers who encouraged development in sports. It has also been recognized that many men with eating disorders may not have had a father figure around at all. (Zerbe, 1992) Their mothers have been described as overprotective and controlling. (Romero, 1994) Adolescent boys with eating disorders relate that parents or siblings are usually on diets as well and there tends to be an emphasis on food a nd dietingShow MoreRelatedMale Eating Disorders : The Silent Struggle1911 Words   |  8 PagesMale Eating Disorders: The Silent Struggle Imagine looking into a mirror and feeling absolutely repulsed with the person looking back at you. Being dissatisfied with your body is without a doubt incredibly difficult thing to deal with, especially when no one is aware of just how much you are suffering. Time and time again we hear stories of people struggling with body issues. The issue is, we often only hear about the women who are suffering with eating disorders. This leads people to come to theRead More Eating Disorders in Males Essay examples1362 Words   |  6 PagesEating Disorders in Males Eating disorders are largely considered to be a female disease. Statistics seem to validate this perception – of the estimated five million-plus adults in the United States who have an eating disorder, only ten percent are thought to be male ((1)). Many professionals, however, hold the opinion that these numbers are incorrect – it is impossible to base the statistics on anything other than the number of adults diagnosed with eating disorders, and men are much lessRead MoreMale Eating Disorders2574 Words   |  11 PagesManual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc. (1998). ANRED: Males with Eating Disorders. Retrieved November 18, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.anred.com/males.html Carlat, D.J., Camargo, C.A. Jr., Herzog, D.B. (1997). Eating Disorders in Males: A Report on 135 Patients. American Journal of Psychiatry. 154, 1127-1131. Crosscope-Happel, C., Hutchins, D.E., Getz, H.G., Hayes, G.L. (2000). Male Anorexia Nervosa:Read MoreMen and Eating Disorders Essay1182 Words   |  5 PagesMen and Eating Disorders About seven million women across the country suffer from eating disorders including anorexia nervosa and bulimia and, as a result most research involving these disorders have only been conducted on females. However, as many as a million men may also suffer from these same disorders. Women are not the only people prone to disliking what they see when they look into the mirror. Now a days more men are worried about their body shape. Clinical reports tell us that oneRead MoreEating Disorders And Anorexia Nervosa947 Words   |  4 PagesEating disorders such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder consist of emotions, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding weight and food issues. Up to 24 million people of all ages and genders suffer from an eating disorder in the U.S (ANAD, n.d.) bulimia nervosa as well as the other eating disorders are considered to be a female eating disorder, a disorder that only affects women which limits males to seek treatment let alone mak e aware to other that they suffer from bulimiaRead MoreMen and Eating Disorders874 Words   |  4 Pagessomeone suffering from an eating disorder. What about overly health conscience, extreme muscle mass, and obsessively exercising? New disorders like Muscle Dysmorphia are being discovered in males that have not been brought to the forefront of news today. The male population is severely under calculated and usually passed over when people cover statistics and findings for eating disorders. This stigma and stance that people have while thinking only females suffer from eating disorders only makes it moreRead MoreMale Athletes With Bulimia Nervosa1347 Words   |  6 PagesMale Athletes with Bulimia Nervosa: â€Å"Dying† to Gain a Competitive Edge Over the last decade, we have become very familiar with eating disorders and its detrimental impact on young women’s physical and mental health. In particular, Schaal et al. reported eating disorders, notably bulimia nervosa, had â€Å"the highest prevalence†¦among male athletes †¦ in weight-class sports (i.e. wrestling, boxing)† (qtd. in Bratland-Sanda, Sundgot-Borgen 500). In this essay, I will draw upon current research on bulimiaRead MoreThe Effects Of Eating Disorders Among Adolescents1215 Words   |  5 PagesChildhood experiences are very influential in molding the perspectives regarding body image among individuals. Emotional invalidation coming from ones parents has been shown to be positively correlated with an increased rate of eating disorders among male and female adolescents. Research conducted by Shisslak et al. (1995) showed that among a sample of university students 91% of the women reported attempting to control their weight through a vari ety of dieting strategies. There are many factorsRead MoreThe Male Struggle with Body Image1632 Words   |  7 PagesWhat we do not realize however is that males struggle with their body image as much as females do and are often not recognized in their fight to meet the expectations of society. Males struggle with all kinds of eating and body disorders just as females do and the expectations pushed on them by the media, women, and even other guys. There is a frightening lack in treatment because guy’s hardships are ignored and even overshadowed by women’s struggles. Males also go through the harmful effects andRead MoreEating Disorders, Body Image Gender Essay1721 Words   |  7 PagesRIGHTS (HE6) ASSIGNMENT EATING DISORDERS, BODY IMAGE GENDER Submitted to: Dr. Sivakami Muthusamy Centre for Health and Social Sciences School of Health Systems Studies, TISS, Mumbai. Submitted by: Pallavi Muraleedharan Enrollment Number: M2015HE018 Master of Health Administration (2015-17) Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai Date: 16/08/2016 INTRODUCTION Eating disorders, body image and gender remain as a very complex interlinked web. Eating disorders affect people from all demographics