When you think of eating disorders, many times we only think of the women. But the reality is that men are also plagued by eating disorders as well. Male anorexia and other eating disorders are a lot more prevalent than most people realize. This is especially true for teenage and young adult men. Because there is such a strong misconception that mostly women suffer from eating disorders, much stigma surrounds discussing and being open about male eating disorders. Therefore, many teenage and young adult men suffer from eating disorders without getting the help they need, or even realizing that they may have a problem. In order to directly address this widespread problem amongst men, it is important to raise awareness and knowledge of how eating disorders affect men. To learn more, read on about these 7 facts about male anorexia that you probably don’t know, but should.
Male anorexia is more prevalent than you think
Every year, approximately one million men suffer from male anorexia. This is a startling statistic in itself, but more so because there is very rarely any discussion about male anorexia or eating disorders. This means that there is likely a man in your work, school, family or friend circle who could be suffering from anorexia — who may feel they cannot speak up about their struggles, or may not even realize they have an issue to address.
Male anorexia is easier to hide
Because there is a misconception that men do not really suffer from eating disorders, typically no one is looking for the warning signs that men they know could have one. It’s also easier to hide because anorexia can be hidden with fitness or bodybuilding. Of course, not all men who are into fitness are anorexic, but there are several men who border on obsessive and unhealthy tendencies with their fitness regimes.
There are other issues that come with it
Just like women, men who suffer from anorexia often have other disorders that are related or directly influence it. Often, these men are dealing with obsessive compulsive disorder or anxiety and depression, so they use how they consume food as a means of some sort of control in their life. If there is a man in your life who may begin obsessing over their body and has a history of these other disorders, they may also be suffering from anorexia.
