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Is it possible for a male to have an eating disorder? I mean, I know it's possible, but I've never heard of any documented cases. All I've seen are connected to females.
—Wondering
Dear Wondering,
Yes, men do have eating disorders. However, eating disorders in men are masked, less common, and often not talked about. According to the National Eating Disorders Association, about "10 percent of eating disordered individuals coming to the attention of mental health professionals are male."
Both men and women can fit the diagnostic criteria for both anorexia and bulimia. In addition to the general factors thought to contribute to the development of eating disorders, men appear to diet for different reasons than women, including:
- actually being obese before becoming eating disordered
- weight loss linked to sports-related achievements or the fear of gaining weight because of a sports injury
- weight loss to avoid weight-related medical illnesses found in other family members
Other reasons men with eating disorders diet may include:
- a desire to improve athletic performance
- a history of being teased, criticized, or picked on for being overweight
- wanting to change a specific body part (to reduce "flab" and promote muscle definition)
- to make required weight for a specific sport (e.g., wrestling or crew)
- to be more attractive to a potential partner
- to look less like one's father
- vegetarianism
- to develop the appearance of a model
In addition to anorexia and bulimia, there's another disorder known as muscle dysmorphia (a.k.a. reverse anorexia, megarexia, or bigorexia). The condition describes both men and women who're obsessed with increasing muscle size, although men are more likely than women to have this disorder. These individuals exhibit many of the same symptoms of other eating disorders, such as a very restricted diet, preoccupation with food and body weight, and a history of low-self esteem. For more information on this disorder, check out Obsessed with Building Muscle in Alice's archives. For further reading on how men are affected by eating disorders, try Arnold E. Anderson's book Males with Eating Disorders.
If you or someone you know is concerned about an eating disorder, it's a good idea to talk to a counselor or nutritionist who specializes in eating disorders. If you're a student at Columbia, you can contact the Eating Disorders Team, a multidisciplinary group of health care providers who specialize in eating and body image concerns.
