Week 1: Eating
LEARNING GOALS
, Articles (first summary then article notes)
______________________________________________________________________
Eating disorders in men: underdiagnosed, undertreated and misunderstood
Strother, Lemberg. Stanford. Tuberville
ARTICLE SUMMARY
Background Summarizes EDs in men
Aim ^ + identifies issues specific to males
Method Literature review
Main findings Males present different symptoms to females, most notable the
presence of ‘athletic anorexia’, desire for more muscles- steroid and
growth hormone use, differences in reason for onset, role of anger as
trigger, negative male idealization of pop culture
Conclusions EDs are underdiagnosed, undertreated and misunderstood in males
Keywords Eating disorders, men, muscle dysmorphia, anorexic athleticism,
depression, shame, media pressure
Abstract
This article: gives survey of eating disorders in men, highlights rise in Eds, identifies issues specifc to
males and suggests areas for research and intervention
Concludes that: eating disorders in men are underdiagnosed, undertreated and misunderstood
Introduction
Male population of Eds have been neglected in diagnosis and treatment
Clinicians are not always aware or have the resources to diagnose as much of the resources are geared
towards females
Early report in 2005 said that males were about 10% of the eating disorder patients but a 2007 study put
the estimate more around 25%
,Issues for men
Number of areas to consider, also where differences to females can be found. These are:
● Weight history
● Sexual abuse
● Trauma
● Gender orientation
● Depression
● Shame
● Exercise
● Body image
● Comorbid chemical dependency
● Media pressures
More on each of these will be elaborated below
Weight history
Men have often been obese or close to it at some point in their life before developing an ED
Women tend to feel fat before using compensatory ways to lose weight
Mens compensatory behaviors
● Exercise
● Influenced by athletic achievement
Sexual abuse and other trauma
30% of ED patients have history of sexual abuse although this is likely to be much higher
Males with ED report less sexual abuse but this is underreporting for sure
Sexual assaulters are often males, victims respond through disordered eating, may deny naturual
hormonal mandates as a solution and become asexual to avoid sexual issues from ever occuring again
Body image distortion / disturbance
● Childhood bullying common in males, they tend to respond by becoming focused on becoming
more masculine and thus bigger to protect themselves
, Sexual orientation
ED symptoms increase 10 times more with gay as to straight men
In a 135 male sample, 42% of bullimic patients were not straight, 58% said they asexual
Being a gay male is not initself a risk factor (more straight women had Eds than gay men) BUT
homosexuality is an indication for a male to be more at risk of developing a disorder
Some men who are confused about their sexual orientation find comfort in weight loss as a product of
restricted eating
Anorexia can cause lower testosterone levels which decreases libido which takes away their confusion
Depression and shame
Many men with ED experience this
Hidden depression often drives
● Physical illness
● Alcohol and substance abuse
● Domestic violence
● Intimacy failures
● Self sabotage
● Eating disorders
We need to change our culture on how we view this!
Exercise and body image
Excessive exercise
Anorexia athleticism
Anorexia can cause restlessness and over physical activity
Muscle dysmorphia
● A subtype of body dysmorphia
● Focus on muscle mass or body size
LEARNING GOALS
, Articles (first summary then article notes)
______________________________________________________________________
Eating disorders in men: underdiagnosed, undertreated and misunderstood
Strother, Lemberg. Stanford. Tuberville
ARTICLE SUMMARY
Background Summarizes EDs in men
Aim ^ + identifies issues specific to males
Method Literature review
Main findings Males present different symptoms to females, most notable the
presence of ‘athletic anorexia’, desire for more muscles- steroid and
growth hormone use, differences in reason for onset, role of anger as
trigger, negative male idealization of pop culture
Conclusions EDs are underdiagnosed, undertreated and misunderstood in males
Keywords Eating disorders, men, muscle dysmorphia, anorexic athleticism,
depression, shame, media pressure
Abstract
This article: gives survey of eating disorders in men, highlights rise in Eds, identifies issues specifc to
males and suggests areas for research and intervention
Concludes that: eating disorders in men are underdiagnosed, undertreated and misunderstood
Introduction
Male population of Eds have been neglected in diagnosis and treatment
Clinicians are not always aware or have the resources to diagnose as much of the resources are geared
towards females
Early report in 2005 said that males were about 10% of the eating disorder patients but a 2007 study put
the estimate more around 25%
,Issues for men
Number of areas to consider, also where differences to females can be found. These are:
● Weight history
● Sexual abuse
● Trauma
● Gender orientation
● Depression
● Shame
● Exercise
● Body image
● Comorbid chemical dependency
● Media pressures
More on each of these will be elaborated below
Weight history
Men have often been obese or close to it at some point in their life before developing an ED
Women tend to feel fat before using compensatory ways to lose weight
Mens compensatory behaviors
● Exercise
● Influenced by athletic achievement
Sexual abuse and other trauma
30% of ED patients have history of sexual abuse although this is likely to be much higher
Males with ED report less sexual abuse but this is underreporting for sure
Sexual assaulters are often males, victims respond through disordered eating, may deny naturual
hormonal mandates as a solution and become asexual to avoid sexual issues from ever occuring again
Body image distortion / disturbance
● Childhood bullying common in males, they tend to respond by becoming focused on becoming
more masculine and thus bigger to protect themselves
, Sexual orientation
ED symptoms increase 10 times more with gay as to straight men
In a 135 male sample, 42% of bullimic patients were not straight, 58% said they asexual
Being a gay male is not initself a risk factor (more straight women had Eds than gay men) BUT
homosexuality is an indication for a male to be more at risk of developing a disorder
Some men who are confused about their sexual orientation find comfort in weight loss as a product of
restricted eating
Anorexia can cause lower testosterone levels which decreases libido which takes away their confusion
Depression and shame
Many men with ED experience this
Hidden depression often drives
● Physical illness
● Alcohol and substance abuse
● Domestic violence
● Intimacy failures
● Self sabotage
● Eating disorders
We need to change our culture on how we view this!
Exercise and body image
Excessive exercise
Anorexia athleticism
Anorexia can cause restlessness and over physical activity
Muscle dysmorphia
● A subtype of body dysmorphia
● Focus on muscle mass or body size
