Male Eating Disorders: An Unspoken Problem

According to popular stereotypes, only teenage girls and women need the help of eating disorder treatment Delray Beach clinics. In truth, as many as ten percent of those who need the services of eating disorder treatment Delray Beach clinics are male.

About Diagnosis

Eating disorders in men and boys often aren’t diagnosed early because men aren’t believed to suffer from the same body image issues that commonly plague women. Men are more likely to need eating disorder treatment Delray Beach clinics but refuse to seek help, because they are ashamed of having a “feminine” condition. Anorexia is the most common reason men seek help from eating disorder treatment Delray Beach clinics, but men and boys also suffer from bulimia and binge eating.

Development of Male Eating Disorders in Boys and Men

Boys and men develop eating disorders for different reasons. Young women and girls may have body image issues due to persistent media influence. And, the social pressure they feel to be thin. However, men feel a different pressure – to be strong and muscular and perform well in athletics. Men more often find themselves in need of help from eating disorder treatment Delray Beach clinics. This may be because they develop disorder eating patterns out of fear of others thinking they are fat or weak.

Symptoms of Male Eating Disorders

Excessive exercise may often be a sign that men or boys need help from an eating disorder treatment clinic. A man or boy who develops an eating disorder will probably be at least a little overweight to begin with. On the other hand, girls or women who develop eating disorders usually start out at healthy or low body weight. Binge eating disorder is more often overlooked in men and boys because of reduced social pressure towards thinness for men.

If you or someone you love needs help for an eating disorder, eating disorder treatment Delray Beach clinics can help. Call the Delray Center for Healing at 1-888-699-5679 today.