Admitting
to having an eating disorder was the hardest step in the path toward recovery
for 26 year old Blake Young, of Whitman, Massachusetts.
“I was so scared to admit that I had
an eating disorder, due to the female stigma surrounding the disease. I mean I
was a 16 year old male high school cross country runner. What would people
think,” said Young, who is now fully recovered and working as a fitness
instructor in Stoughton, Massachusetts.
The rate among college age men who
have eating disorders ranges from four percent to ten percent, according to a
2011 study “Eating Disorder Among College Students: Prevalence, Persistence,
Correlates, and Treatment Seeking” by Dr. Daniel Eisenberg, Dr. Emily J.
Nicklett, Miss Kathryn Roeder, and Dr. Nina E. Kirz. The study found the eating
the eating disorder ratio of female to males has increased from 20-to-1 to
3-to-1.
Donna Colvin, a registered dietitian
for 24 years at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, Massachusetts, said the
reported number of males with an eating disorder is underestimated.
“I believe the reported number is
severely underestimated due to the public perception that something is wrong
with you if you’re a male with an eating disorder,” said Colvin.
She has seen an increase in the
number of male patients over the last few years and a change in the public
perception. Through education and awareness groups, more men are accepting that
it is okay to admit that you have an eating disorder.
“I do believe the public perception
that only homosexual men have eating disorders is turning around, as I find
more parents and physicians reaching out to dietitians and therapists for their
male patients struggling with disordered eating issues,” said Colvin.
A 2005 study, “Clinical and subclinical
eating disorders: An examination of collegiate athletes” by Tiffany
Sanford-Martens, Meghan Davidson, Oksana Yakushko, Matthew Martens, Pamela
Hinton, and Niles Beck, says 20 percent of collegiate male athletes show signs
of having an eating disorder, while 15 percent of collegiate females do.
Another study in 1999, “Impact of
Coaching Style on Vulnerability for Eating Disorders an Analog Study” by Anna C.
Biesecker and Denise M/ Martz, found male athletes with demanding coaches are
more susceptible to eating disorders than non athletes.
Colvin agrees with both of those
findings.
“I see more athletes than female
athletes. I think a lot of it has to do with the type of sport. Especially when
weight is a deciding factor for placement or is judged by coaches and
trainers,” said Colvin.
Jason Sears, 51, of Bridgewater,
Massachusetts said he started having body image issues in high school.
“At 22, I was 6’2 and weighed 101
pounds,” said Sears. “It was hard to admit it back then. It’s still tough today
to be a male with body image issues, but not like it was back then.”
Michael Butler, 32, of Brockton,
Massachusetts who is currently training for the 2015 Boston Marathon, said he
developed an eating disorder during his freshman year of college.
“I didn’t know anyone and it was a
huge adjustment. Being far away from home didn’t help either. I started running
more and eating less, it got to a point where I was too skinny to compete in
tack,” said Butler.
Christopher Harrison, 29, of
Franklin, Massachusetts who suffered from bulimia in high school, said pressure
from wrestling coaches and his parents pushed him toward bulimia.
“I was so concentrated on winning
and being the best, that before weigh in’s I would force myself to throw up. I
thought it would go away after I stopped wrestling, but it didn’t. That’s when
I knew I needed professional help,” said Harrison.
Jared Peterson, 23, of Bridgewater,
Massachusetts said, his eating disorder developed in high school.
“During high school, I was very
scared and confused about life. I couldn’t control a lot of things in my life,
but one thing I could was my body. I decided to lose weight and it got out of
control,” said Peterson.
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