Bingeing, secretive eating and sudden weight loss are just a few of the signs of an eating disorder. Susan Quilliam advises on what to do and how to help

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.

How to spot the signs
A man with an eating disorder is likely to have an unhappy relationship with himself, suffer from low self-esteem and feel depressed. His attitude to food will be an unhappy and troubled one: he loves food, but hates its effect. There are three main types of eating disorders:

Anorexia nervosa: where a man feels he is fatter than he really is and starves or over-exercises. Look out for a man who eats nothing when he is with you, constantly claiming he 'had something at work', or who, when he does sit down to a meal, pushes the portion round his plate. He weighs himself constantly and may say he is fat, even when underweight. Physical danger signals are severe weight loss, and the development of downy hair over his whole body.

Binge eating disorder: where a man comforts himself for angry or insecure feelings by turning to food. Look out for a man who eats far more than he can possibly need biologically. A stomach holds food approximately equivalent to the size of a clenched fist, so if he's eating ten times that amount at every meal, he may have a problem. Another danger signal is a man who reacts to stress by wolfing down food - using eating as a way to take his mind off things. Compulsive eaters are often overweight.

Bulimia nervosa: where a man tries to control his weight by vomiting or using laxatives. A bulimic man is often a compulsive eater - he binges and then vomits in order not to gain weight. Look out for a man who makes constant trips to the bathroom following every meal, consistently overeats without putting on weight and uses laxatives.

What you can do