JJ Vincent hopes that the nascent conversation about men and
eating disorders keeps growing.
Eating disorders. Anorexia. Bulimia. Bingeing. Purging.
These are usually thought of as “women’s problems”. And that’s no comfort for the millions of boys and men who are suffering in silence.
Body image issues. Social image pressures. Feeling guilty. Hating how you look.
These are not gender specific.
And hopefully, now that some guys are beginning to open up about their struggles, maybe there will be some light and some hope for others.
◊♦◊
David Stanley wrote an article about his own body image issues and started a conversation, and for every one man that spoke up, there were surely dozens more that felt less alone.
NPR aired this piece about eating disorders among boys, how the symptoms are often overlooked or dismissed, and how important it is to increase treatment options tailored to boys and men. They shined a light on a vital health issue that needs to be brought out of the shadows and into our conversations.
◊♦◊
These are two stories. There are thousands more. My uncle, who suffered from anorexia when I was a child, was one of them.
The National Eating Disorders Association calls this a silent epidemic.
Boys and men need to know that they can get help. That they can talk about this. That they are not alone.
–
—Photo!!!! scogle/Flickr
JJ, wasn’t it a little frustrating that more people didn’t jump on this? Perhaps you should have sites the stats in the article, more would have responded? 33% of males use unhealthy weight control behaviors. 37% of men who binge eat experience depression. 43% of men are dissatisfied with their bodied.
Agree. But I believe that we often see these problems emerge through tattooing or buffing and cutting (body building.) Those APPEAR to be positive for many young people, but when they get obsessive are the same as an eating disorder. They have the same addictive nature. Bodybuilding armors the body against sensuousness. Tattooing masks the body.