It is estimated that there are roughly 1 million cases of male teens and young adults with anorexia. However, due to the nature of the disease, the numbers could actually be much larger. Their unhealthy behavior is kept secret and sometimes help is not sought until serious health problems arise.
Just as with females, the disorder usually begins during their youth, with the onset commonly between 14 and 17 years old. These are the types of patients that Thomas Linscheid Ph.D, the head psychologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, sees everyday. He said that anorexia inside a male’s mind is a fear. "It gets to be an irrational fear,” he said.
Anorexia has Several Triggers
Anorexia can be triggered in many ways; sometimes it is because of a comment that was made about the individual from a peer. “A guy not too long ago, somebody told him that his butt was too big,” said Linscheid, describing a patient. “And it really wasn’t, but it got him thinking about it, deciding that he didn’t want to have any part of his body thought of as unusual.”
Other times these young males start off by simply wanting to improve their outward appearance. “The kids that I’ve seen,” said Linscheid, “it’s usually some decision to say ’I’m getting a little over weight, I want to be buff, I want to be trim.’”
While most people can diet and keep their weight-loss within normal limits, some can take it too far by striving for perfection, and never finding it. The classic anorexic can be described as somebody that has trouble with their self-image. “They’re usually very smart and talented, but they never feel good about themselves,” said Linscheid. “They put a lot of pressure on themselves to be as good as they can, to be perfect. It’s part of their personality trait. They have a lot of self-control (that) probably comes from that negative self-image.”
These types of people are perfectionists and are the same kinds of students that feel as if they are a failure if they do not receive straight A’s in every class, and think of themselves as a “loser” if they do not go above and beyond their expectations. Their raging perfectionism can also be ritualistic and even strange at times, continuing for several years, ultimately contributing to their death.
Anorexia's Death Rate is Higher Than Many Childhood Cancers
“Anorexia has a 10% death rate. That’s higher than many childhood cancers,” said Linscheid. “You wouldn’t pussyfoot around leukemia…that’s why you have to be aggressive.”
By being aggressive, Dr. Linscheid means that help and intervention is a must. “You have to do it,” he strongly urges. Some ways he suggests confronting the person is by showing concern and saying: “I’m worried about your eating. You have some wrong ideas about nutrition.”
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