If you thought eating disorders were confined to teenage girls, young women, think again.
Men too are at risk of developing debilitating illnesses such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating.
In fact, about 10 per cent of people suffering from eating disorders are male.
Psychologist from Eating Disorder says men of all shapes and sizes suffer from eating problems.
It is said that, there’s a stereotype of someone who would develop and eating disorder which is usually a middle-class Anglo-Saxon teenage girl.
But we see people from all walks of life with eating disorders, including men.
Goodness knows how many men have sub-clinical eating disorders or are not on the radar because of the secrecy or the shame they may feel.

MANOREXIA
Eating disorder can often stem from weight issues suffered during a man’s formative teenage years.
Men who bottle up their emotional problems rather than discussing them with a friend or loved one can feel a heightened sense of stress, and this can also trigger illnesses such as anorexia and bulimia.
While eating disorders vary from person to person, the general signs that someone is battling an eating disorder includes overeating, severe weight loss and depression.
“Weight loss, or some sort of fluctuation in weight, is a big indicator, along with changes in mood, particularly around meal time.
One thing to keep in mind with these sorts of behaviors is people would probably need to display a number of them to be at risk.
Studies also show that images of male underwear models with washboard stomachs and airbrushed hips may be contributing to a rise in eating disorders among men.
Recent studies show about 67 per cent of men were dissatisfied with their bodies.

WHAT TO DO
The best way to help someone battling an eating disorder is to talk to them about concerns for their health.
People should expect some sort of resistance. Often people with eating disorder are really ambivalent about recovery.
One advise is not to approach someone at meal time because it’s usually a very anxious time for them.
Eating disorders, for men and women, fall into three general categories:

ANOREXIA NERVOSA:
self starvation
BULIMIA NERVOSA:
binging and purging
OVER-EATING:
binging without the purging

Those men who believe they may have eating disorder should visit a doctor to discuss their concerns.

For more information visit www.edf.org.au
www.eatingdisorders.org.au or
www.thebutterflyfoundation.org.au