Anorexia in males is similar to females, with dangerous weight loss, poor eating habits, and excessive exercise. It is often driven by a desire for a perfect physique, fueled by depression and low self-esteem. Anemia, suicidal tendencies, and other complications can occur. Anorexic males exercise compulsively and may resort to bulimic behaviors. Low self-esteem and emotional abuse are common. Anorexia in males is often difficult to detect, but the underlying cause is gender-neutral.
Signs of anorexia in males closely mirror those in females. Anorexic males are often dangerously underweight, have poor eating habits, and exercise excessively. These symptoms tend to stem from the goal of achieving a perfect, muscular physique, a goal often fueled by depression and low self-esteem. In severe cases, males can develop anemia, suicidal tendencies, and other life-threatening complications.
Excessive exercise is one of the hallmarks of anorexia in males. Exercising for multiple hours a day, as much as into the double digits, isn’t uncommon. Friends and family members may attribute exercise to the healthy habits of an extremely fit individual, but what is really being shown is a serious mental disorder. Anorexic males exercise compulsively due to an insatiable desire to trim fat and look fit.
Poor eating habits are another classic sign of anorexia in males. Excessive exercise aside, starving yourself is the classic method that anorexic people use to lose weight. Like women, anorexic males may also resort to bulimic behaviors, in which a person vomits food privately in an attempt to limit calorie intake while appearing to eat normally in the presence of others.
Behavioral changes are another sign of anorexia. Males with anorexia are often depressed and don’t think much of themselves. Such low self-esteem can come from emotional abuse, both at home and from social circles. When treating male anorexia, it’s important to get to the root of the emotional problem to fully understand what’s driving the anorexic behavior.
Anorexia in males is considered by many to be more difficult to detect. This is probably not so much because anorexic men appear less thin or because their eating and exercise habits seem less erratic, but because society tends to think of anorexia as a specific female condition. Anorexia can also be difficult to spot with an individual who is heavily involved in sports; sports make it easier for people to justify excessive exercise and poor eating habits.
Some believe that the psychology of anorexia in males is somewhat different. Males may be more driven by a culture that glorifies lean and muscular body types, while females may be driven by a culture that equates thinness with beauty. However, the most basic and underlying cause of anorexia – a lack of self-esteem and a feeling of not being desirable or perfect – is gender neutral. Such feelings can not only lead to poor exercise and eating habits but can also lead to severe depression and even suicidal tendencies.
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