Eating Disorders Overview

Estimated prevalence rates for males with eating disorders ranges from 10-33%. However, fewer than 5% of all referrals to eating disorder clinics are male. Research at Harvard Medical School discovered that there is increasing evidence to suggest that men and boys are becoming more obsessed with their bodies. Men are beginning to diet in unprecedented numbers with an estimated one million of them suffering from eating disorders - this figure is perceived to be underestimated.

In Psychology Today magazine, in 1997, an alarming 43% of men in the survey reported that they were dissatisfied with their overall appearance; 63% dissatisfied with their abdomen, 52% with their weight, 55% with their muscle tone and 38% with their chest.

While eating disorders usually manifest at around 14-25 years of age, boys as young as 6 years old suffer with disordered eating. In a survey of 211 High School boys:

·        17% had tried dieting

·        10% had gone on a crash diet

·        8% were smoking to suppress hunger

·        6% were vomiting after meals

·        small percentages were using laxatives, diuretics and diet pills

 Men are more concerned than women with how they see themselves, and their self-worth is connected to how strong they are, how much they are in control and how productive they are. Males need to perceive themselves as a success in all areas of their life; work, exercise, background, friends, home life etc. As social anxiety increases during adolescence and puberty, there is an increase in feelings of depression. Depression is a major risk factor in boys for the development of eating disorders.

 It is interesting to note that 10% of children 12 years of age or younger have suffered from a depressive episode and the number of deaths from suicide has increased dramatically in the 15-19 year old age group.