Males Get Eating Disorders, Too!
By Christopher Clark, Executive Director, N.A.M.E.D.
One popular myth is that females, not males, get eating disorders. Despite growing awareness over the past decade that males are affected by eating disorders, the subject gets little attention, and most individuals are undiagnosed and untreated.
The beliefs, thinking patterns, and behaviors fueling eating disorders may be more serious than originally believed. Estimates of the number of males with eating disorders are probably somewhere between one and two million Americans with hundreds of thousands of others, who do not have a diagnosable eating disorder, but nevertheless, exhibit obsessions with food, weight, appearance, and/or exercise.
Many with this illness are in denial of their problems and are ashamed to admit to an eating disorder. Health care professionals need not only be able to recognize the symptoms of an eating disorder, they also need to know how to tactfully approach those with eating disorders to encourage them to seek treatment.
The National Association for Males with Eating Disorders, Inc. (N.A.M.E.D.) was established in 2006 to offer support to males with eating disorders, to make the public more aware of this issue, and to be a resource of information on the subject. Check out N.A.M.E.D.’s website at http://www.NAMEDinc.org. For more information, including brochures, write to Chris@NAMEDinc.org.
Note: This article may be reprinted without permission.
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