Boys


		At least one million men have eating disorders. Most of them go undiagnosed. so they struggle silently Eating Disorders strike adolescent as well as adult males, many of whom may get teased for having an eating disorder and most of whom will struggle with a deeper sense of shame than females with eating problems. We have to support these guys and not add to their pain by diminishing it!

			A Male Eating Disorder Survivor Speaks Out

		I work with adolescent boys with eating disorders, because, thankfully, the residential treatment cetner where I work treats males and females, it is one of the few centers where teenage boys with eating disorders can go for help, actually (click here to see my workplace's website). My direct experience is that these guys have been sick longer than any loved ones around them knew about... the majority of them are not, in fact, gay (although that doesn't matter anyway) and they are influenced negatively by our media too and need our support & attention.

Anorexic Boys, Bulimic Boys, Eating Disordered Boys...

Anorexic Boy Pictures, Teenage guys with eating disorders, male anorexia stories

Left Picture, recovering

Right Picture, struggling

Here are photos of one young man who is now recovering from anorexia. His story is available on the BBC news... read it here.

I am continually amazed at the lack of information, personal stories and most certainly videos (talk shows, t.v. movies, whatever) regarding males and eating disorders. If I had more time, I would write a t.v. movie and have the lead character be a teen boy with anorexia, as to shed light on this issue to the general public. Currently I'm treating a seventeen year old guy with anorexia and a fifteen year old guy with compulsive eating (another eating disorder that is rarely covered, yet more common than anorexia or bulimia). I have worked with African American boys, Hispanic boys (the number of eating disorders among the Hispanic population seems to be growing rapidly, there are always a couple Hispanic girls being treated at my work at any given day every day year after year), and guys with all different types of backgrounds. Some of eating disordered females in their families, some were once teased about their weight as kids, some are musicians and some are athletes... some of them don't fit into any category at all! I do have my one theory that there is pressure to be sickly thin for males (and females) in the "gothic" subculture (you can read my thoughts on that one here), and honestly the "rock star" look is often abnormally thin too, which is evidenced even more by the number of male rock musicians who have admitted to having eating disorder problems... (among them, Daniel Johns, Rickey James of The Manic Street Preachers, Elton John, Brandon Boyd, etc.)... as well as actors (such as Billy Bob Thorton, Matt Damon, Adam Rickitt, etc.)... but ultimately, what people need to understand is that guys can get eating disorders, guys do get eating disorders and guys have had eating disorders throughout history!!

This Photo is of Actor Adam Rickitt, who reports he has struggled with Anorexia

Did you know that the first patient ever diagnosed with anorexia nervosa was a British school boy ???

Why, then, are boys and men not being diagnosed properly when seen by doctors and therapists?? I understand that the general public doesn't suspect eating disorders in men because they don't see that on the talk shows or in the magazines (though they should be), but I am constantly hearing about professionals in the health care system who don't even consider a diagnosis of an eating disorder in their male patients!!

This upsets me endlessly. (obviously) Does it upset you, too?


				Daniel Johns (pictured here), the lead singer of Silverchair, has suffered from anorexia nervosa. We don't need a male Karen Carpenter story to convince the public, do we???




	THANK YOU, DANIEL JOHNS FOR YOUR HONESTY AND COURAGE AND OPENNESS... YOU HAVE HELPED GUYS WITH EATING DISORDERS AROUND THE WORLD TREMENDOUSLY! more onthe problem of the male musician body ideal


Guys do not escape the curse of distorted body image.

In some twisted effort to be "equal" there are many advertisers now using skinny, barely clad males to sell their products (which is the worst response to the complaints about using skinny, barely clad female images to sell products EVER made) There are now more male magazines than ever before. The pressure has not eased up on females, it has merely been extended to males in a way that it used to not be. At one point are we going to stop and question ourselves? The teenage boys with anorexia, bulimia and compulsive eating that I treat have distorted body image. It will sometimes vary from the typical female's distortions (be aware that every person with an eating disorder is an individual and their experience is unique to them... I am speaking about commonalities) in that some teenage boys with anorexia, for example, will be aware that they are "too thin" but will concentrate their distortion on a particular body part... for example, a 16 yr old anorexic boy whom I've worked with twice now, would tell me he knew his arms and legs were "too thin" but that his stomach was HUGE and that was what he was worried about. He would focus his anxiety on his stomach, but be able to see his emaciated state in other parts of his body. When I pointed out to him that physiologically someone with very thin arms and legs couldn't have that disporportionately huge of a stomach, he looked at me with genuine surprise.




WARNING... as with my entire website, and everyone elses for that matter, some people may find this disturbing... But really anyone can find anything disturbing. the gentleman to the right is among many who had an eating disorder... click here to see me illustrate my point... Picture Guys With Eating Disorders

		Click on the Goth to see how Goth boys are affected by eating disorders and body image distrubance...




	As with Females, you may not be able to tell that a Male has an Eating Disorder based on the way he looks. Eating Disorders in Boys and Men manifest physically in different ways... it all depends on how that particular body deals with starvation, binge eating and various forms of purging. Some bodies will drop weight or gain weight immediately and drastically, but some bodies will barely change in weight at all. If someone has had an eating disorder for a long time, for example, there is a high chance that they have distroyed their metabolism so even if they are only consuming a small amount of nutrition, they may not become emaciated. Look at your friends and family, guys and girls, with open loving eyes. Is there a change in their eating behavior even if their weight is "okay"? Are they obsessed, depressed and unhappy? This is what matters most anyways!! Teenage guys might be particularly more difficult to base any eating disorder theory on their appearance because it is a common result of the various adolescent puberty stages for guys to be "skinny" and eat a ton of food, and not necessarily be eating disordered. This is yet another reason why it is more important to assess how the person is doing, feeling, coping, and living their life.

This entire section is dedicated 100% to the "Stud-lys" that I have been blessed to know and work with. My Princes, I support your recovery with all my heart. You inspire me. I love you guys!

And Yes, The Media Does Effect Guys!!

Images of thin males are noticeable everywhere... the extreme fitness pressure placed on males has lead to countless cases of steroid abuse, compulsive exercise and disordered eating. Adolescent boys are often just as insecure and worried about their appearance as adolescent girls... although the teen boys are less likely to talk about their feelings of self-consciousness because it is not a "manly" thing to do.

What message, for example, is this picture below sending our young men?

FAMOUS MALES HAVING EATING DISORDERS

It will be interesting to see if more male celebrities "come out" about having eating disorders whether or not this will help guys more, or, if it will also encourage more guys to "explore" disordered eating...

There is that same old question, do we talk about male eating disorders in order to reach those guys who feel alone with their illness? OR do we avoid talking about it in hopes to not educate any guy as to HOW to have an eating disorder??

People will always abuse the information. I didn't know cocaine was an "option" until I went to an anti-drug assembly in junior high school. I might not have even heard about that drug for another couple years... I know its the same with eating disorders education, and I am PAINFULLY aware of that when I speak to schools myself.

But I do always make sure to mention that guys can have eating disorders too.

And I will keep pointing this out to people. At a certain point, by a certain age, everyone knows that alcoholism exists and is, I guess, an "option" of self indulgence and self destruction... At this same time, everyone knows that there is treatment for alcoholism and that people are not alone in their illness.

In addition, I hope everyone knows that you can't automatically tell someone has alcoholism by the way they look, and that the stereotype of the drunk laying in the alley with a bottle hidden in a paper bag is merely a dramatic stereotype, not a definition. I believe it is the same with eating disorders. I can't wait until our society catches up with the reality I have been living and working with for the majority of my life!

If you are a guy with an eating disorder and want to mail me your story to be put on this website, write me here. If you know of any great personal websites by guys with eating disorders please mail me the link and I will happily add it to this section!!

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