Men in denial over eating disorders
DUBAI // Men obsessed with their appearance and fitness levels could be living with eating disorders but will not admit to them, said specialists at the launch of Dubai’s first clinic to treat such conditions.
One in five people in the United States suffer from some kind of disordered eating, according to the American Centre for Psychiatry and Neurology, which also says that the condition affects about 70 million people worldwide.
Of those, 95 per cent are women aged between 15 and 25. Of the rest, about 15 per cent are men, but many more could be living in silence with an eating disorder such as anorexia, bu- limia or body dysmorphia, experts said.
Carine Hadati, a psychologist and eating disorders practitioner at the new clinic in Jumeirah, said the number of men with eating disorders was on the increase and could be higher, but that stigma stopped men from coming forward.
“Eating disorders are becoming much more common in men,” she said. “Ten years ago the female to male ratio of anorexia was 10:1, now it is 4:1.
“In the UAE, up to 40 per cent of those with an eating disorder are men but we’re sure the number is actually a lot higher, just hidden because of the stigma attached to it.
“In this part of the world, male psychology is already complicated, so it is even harder to encourage men to get help for what is commonly perceived as a feminine disorder.”
Eating disorders are considered one of the deadliest mental health conditions, with about 20 per cent of sufferers dying from associated conditions or health complications such as malnourishment.
Of normal dieters, 35 per cent are thought to progress to pathological dieting, with a quarter of those progressing to a full-syndrome eating disorder.
It is believed eating disorders are caused by a variety of factors, including genetics, environment, culture and psychosocial.
“Steroid use, and the constant demand to attain the perfect image, has a big effect, said Ms Hadati. “Muscle dysmorphia is more common in men, where the individual is obsessed with looking a certain way. No matter how much the person builds muscle they always perceive themselves as being too small.”