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Anorexia Nervosa

(Eating Disorders in Men)

Etropolska, Maria V.

ENG 211

Burke-Kirova, Molly

Research Paper

December 18th, 2002

The term Anorexia Nervosa literally stands for loss of appetite, but its meaning stretches far beyond that explanation. It is the irrational fear of becoming fat, the obsession for a constant reduction of weight. Anorectics always think they are above the normal body weight despite the image in the mirror or what the scales show. The truth is that Anorexia Nervosa is not just an "eating disorder"; it's not only a matter of being thin. It's a psychological problem. Through self-starvation people try to gain control over their lives and emotions. In fact it is not true that anorectics are never hungry. Just the opposite Ð'- they are feeling the hunger and that is exactly what gives them the powerful sense of control over their bodies and lives as these people often are unable to cope with the real world and see their sufferings as something they are good at. The psychological portrait of people with an eating disorder like anorexia, according to http://www.anad.org/therapy.htm, is characterized with low self-esteem, guilt, anxiety and depression, sense of helplessness, withdrawal and isolation.

The web page http://familydoctor.org/handouts/063.html explains that some of the reasons to become anorectic are not well established. There might be a belief that one would be more successful and happier if he or she is thinner. People with anorexia want everything in their life to be perfect. They tend to be very good students or overworking employees. They are in need to receive the best grades and praises and blame themselves if something in their lives divert a bit from its perfect status. Anorectics usually are pretty active and get involved in any kind of community or school activities.

The disorder occurs mostly in adolescent girls and young women as well as children approaching puberty and older women up to the menopause. However the recent disturbing statistics show that there are growing numbers of affected adolescent boys and young men.

J.L. Margo provides the information that anorexia in males is approximately 6% to 10% of the eating disorder cases in clinics, which means that one person in every 10 anorectics, is a man. Because men are both less subject to mood disorders and less concerned about fine body shape (most often the concern is connected with building strong and muscular body), they develop anorexia nervosa much less often. They are not so vulnerable to eating disorders due to the difference in the hormones and genes, their steadier emotional status and social situation. The age limits for an onset of anorexia are usually between 17 and 24 years but it is not impossible that it occurs in older men.

AGE AT ONSET OF ILLNESS (both in women and men)

Ð'* 86% report onset of illness by the age of 20*

Ð'* 10% report onset at 10 years or younger

Ð'* 33% report onset between ages of 11-15

Ð'* 43% report onset between ages of 16-20

* ANAD Ten Year Study

Male anorexia is often underdiagnosed as the patients and the physicians are not aware that the disorder can occur in both sexes and because as a whole, the community is much more willing to accept the overeating or overweight men then women. That is a statement that all the sources agree on. Heterosexual men experience shame of admitting that they have an eating disorder, considering it a "female" or "gay" problem, which is another obstacle in the process of treating male anorexia.

Barton J. Blinder adds that as a general rule people suffering from that disease do not represent a specific socio-economic group Ð'- they could be rich or poor. However in a minority of reports on anorexia there is a differentiation made. Most of the patients are from a lower class and are not successful in their profession. It is true that most of the male anorectics are homosexual as the society exercise cultural pressure on gay men to be thin and more attractive and thus the risk of development of an eating disorder increases. The same principal of higher eating disorder danger is in force for the athletes, who participate in the low-weight sports such as runners, jockeys and wrestlers. It is the urge to succeed and be competitive at all costs, the striving to put all the best potentials at work that might contribute to the onset of anorexia as all this leads to great stress. Events of some eating disorders can be caused by an overwhelming stress including seriously ill close relative, problems at work or taking heavy responsibilities, divorces, problems with the children.

Again in accordance with Blinder's researches male anorexia differentiates by the female anorexia by the fact that men, who have become anorectics, usually had been overweight prior to developing the full disorder. In addition, male patients usually experience more sexual anxiety; they are more active and have fewer bulimic episodes with less vomiting or laxative abuse. It is a tendency that male anorectics have shown more achievement orientation, bigger concern about food and weight and more physical complaints. The characteristics of the disorder in men include higher pursuit of perfection and increased obsession. High occurrence of schizoid/introversion, passive/dependent and anti-social features are observed in men in comparison to women, which indicated higher percentage of undifferentiated-immature psychological structure, hysterical/histrionic features though the number of schizoid/introversion traits is equal in both sexes.

Eating disorders are usually accompanied with many co-existing psychological illnesses like depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, self-injury behaviour and substance abuse, obsessive compulsive disorder, borderline personality disorder and multiple personality syndrome, observes the source http://www.something-fishy.org/cultural/issuesformen.php. The statistics show that most of the anorectics suffer simultaneously with alcoholism and/or drug addiction.

According to Barton J. Blinder, M. D., PhD, treatment and recovering form anorexia seems to be harder for men. The male percentage of successful recoveries is lower that