Other Eating Disorders

Like females, boys and men suffer from a wide range of eating disorders, not just anorexia.

The most common are:

bulimia (men account for around 15% of cases)

binge eating disorder (men account for 60 to 70% of cases)

compulsive exercise (also known as bigorexia)

EDNOS (eating disorders not otherwise specified)

Whilst the different illnesses have different symptoms and effects, many of the approaches to self-help and treatment will be similar to those used for anorexics. At the end of the day the main aim for anyone suffering from an eating disorder is to re-establish healthy eating patterns, maintain a healthy weight, and to regain self confidence and self esteem. Much of what is written in the self help and treatment options section of my book Boys Get Anorexia Too should be useful for the carer of a boy  or man suffering from one of these other eating disorders. There is a chapter in my book  which  contains a brief description of each illness, what to look out for, and the effects of the illness.

 I also recommend reading :

1)Fit to Die by Anna Paterson, published in 2004 by Lucky Duck. In this book the author draws the readers attention to the characteristic and special difficulties for men with eating disorders.

2)The Invisible Man: A Self help guide for men with eating disorders, compulsive exercise and bigorexia (By John Morgan Publ:Routledge) This book applies the latest research to produce a practical, problem focused self help manual for men with eating disorders and body image problems. John Morgan has used his wealth of experience in the eating disorder arena to produce a book that really understands the issues men face and that provides a very readable guide for men seeking to combat their eating and body image issues.

http://www.boyanorexia.com/other.htm