Eating Disorder
Nearly 10 per cent of people with an eating disorder are male and the cause is still unknown. Researchers suspect that they might stem from the pressure of a highly weight-conscious western society, relationship problems or family and neurological and physical changes in susceptible people. It appears that many factors are at work.
One of the major problems in eating disorders is dysmorphia or body image disturbance. These illnesses cause a person to have an inaccurate perception of their own body weight and shape.
For example, if a man with anorexia is asked to stand beside a doctor, he may think he blocks out the whole doorway since he is too overweight; looking at his bony hand and thin forearm, he could think he’s well covered in unsightly fat.
Experts have suggested that male bodybuilders may have similar sorts of body image disturbance to that condition experienced by people suffering from anorexia.
In order to confirm the diagnosis, the patient must be mistaken and think that they are too heavy and start dieting in an attempt to lose weight. People with anorexia normally have a BMI of less than 17.5