When your man has an eating disorder

Eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia are women's problems - right? Wrong. A recent survey by the British charity Eating Disorders Association found that 10% of people with eating disorders are male and the figure is rising.

Eating disorders tend to develop as outward signs of inner emotional or psychological distress or problems. They become the way that people cope with difficulties in their life. Eating, or not eating, is used to help block out painful feelings. The majority of men's eating disorders started in their school years when they were bullied for being overweight, but that is not the only reason for developing a disorder. Men in professions where body shape is important, such as dance, modelling, horse racing or athletics are also at risk. If your partner is bisexual or mixes with gay friends, he may also feel particularly pressured. In the same survey by the Eating Disorders Association, 20% of men with eating disorders identified themselves as gay. This may stem from the emphasis the gay community often puts on the 'body beautiful'.

An eating disorder may be triggered by a crisis or life change - the death of someone close, a relationship breakdown, the stress of pressure at work or university or even a change of job. All these pressures are heightened if men aren't able to admit they have a problem and don't feel they can seek help. Men find it difficult to acknowledge they have an eating disorder and that the underlying problem is psychological.