Men With Eating Disorders Lack Treatment

Up to 25% of anorexics and 40% of bulemics are male
By Sam Gale Rosen,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 17, 2007 8:46 AM CDT
Men With Eating Disorders Lack Treatment
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Men affected by eating disorders have few options—with research, diagnosis, and treatment all geared towards women. A new study reveals that a quarter of all anorexics in the US are men, as are up to 40% of all binge eaters. "Society sees this as a girl's disease," says LynnGrefe, an eating disorders specialist.

The stigma results in very few men receiving effective treatment. Many centers are reluctant to treat men at all, the Wall Street Journal reports; even the diagnostic criteria for  eating disorders are oriented to female patients, including arrested menstruation. Men have different body-image issues, psychiatrist Ted Welzin reports, and more difficulty understanding the emotions behind the disorder. (More anorexia stories.)

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