Male Anorexia: One Boy's Story

It concerns me that in the last, "recovered" picture, he's wearing a loose, long sleeve shirt that seems designed to hide an anerexic body. Did he recover, or just learn to hide it a little better? I notice the article doesn't actually say how much the young man weighs today. I hope he continues to submit to weight and body fat monitoring. Anerexia is a recurring disease.

If you look at his face in the middle and right pictures you can see that he's not as thin as he used to be.

sorry laura to intrude on your post.. isn't life great,, I am so proud of him and don't know him...everyone judgeing him,, I thought he looked ok in the red shirt,, center pic,,show six pack,, water pic like a happy kid...my sister had/has a ED and I found out,,, I know I never made her feel as if I was judgeing her,, I am so lucky to have her in my life and there have been improvements, comend him and not judge,, it's his life and with susportive family that he has he's going be just fine.

Please do share why everything has to go back to sexual abuse?

Kenny Nash- Possibly not sexual abuse, but something else that was tramuatic for him. When a person is forced through tramua, their mind tries to protect itself through a number of ways. People who go through tramua sometimes get mental disorders as a result of the stress tramua caused them, such as anerexia. But each case is unique and different as is the tramua behind it. Tramua can spark addictions too, like anerexia. Also many people who suffer from food addictions (anerexia) have been shown to have sexual abuse in their past. Hope this answered your question.

I'm a graduate student working toward my M.A. in clinical psychology. I have been doing research on CSA (child sexual abuse) for about 4 years now and plan to continue this work when I get into a doctoral program. It's usually not one cause and effect that contributes to any disorder. There is usually a hereditary propensity toward a disorder, traumatic events, and the ways in which the events are worked through (coping strategies). Although there is evidence that CSA and EDs (eating disorders) can be related, it does not mean that CSA yields an ED. EDs are generally thought to be the result of an obsessive-compulsive/anxiety/control issue/body image issue so there are several possible reasons for the ED to manifest.

I'm glad this story was posted because male anorexia is becoming more common and perhaps this can help males out there who are suffering through an ED. He looks a lot better in the most recent picture so I hope he is doing well. I also commend him for wanting to help other males who have EDs. It seems like he has gotten much stronger as a result of undergoing treatment. Congrats, Eric and good luck!

I suffered from anorexia all through out my teenage years. Never once have I been sexually abused.

Not necessarily any abuse at all. The person usually has a control issue. They cannot stand having someone else in control of the rest of their lives, such as school, chores, and other expectations, so they have this part of their life that they have complete control of.

behind every eating disorder there is an issuse. but the majority are not sexually abused. frankly you should get your facts straight.

Very false. I'm a recovering anorexic myself. I was NEVER abused. I used my eating disorder as a COPING mechanism after a traumatic experience. Please don't draw conclusions as not all people with eating disorders were abused. Get your facts straight before you speak.

You don't necessarily have to be abused. For me it just took the wrong comment at the wrong time. Puberty was very stressful on me and I never let it show. I stopped eating breakfast and lunch. I rarely ate dinner. I eventually grew out of it but it's almost ten years later and I still feel like I'm fighting the same battle.

Nancy Reagan's phrase I forgot to say is "just say no"...i.e. just say no to the bad habits one has. Good nutrition and proper exercise for males especially WILL build muscle. It builds in everyone a healthy, proper weight and a good life. Good luck again!

@ Natale: Kudos for maintaining a healthier lifestyle for so long.

Almost every addict can't just stop whenever they want to. Anorexia is a disease - NOT a matter of willpower.

Good to know you've change your life, congrats. However, EDs aren't a love of being thin or loving food too much. People who use food or starvation or purging to cope have a severe psychological issue that needs to be treated as such. When a mind breaks to the point where it will fight instinct and choose starve to death in order to have absolute control over one part of life, trust me, that's bigger than a "just say no" problem. People think anorexia is a vain disorder and on the outside, it looks like it. People diagnosed cite trying to fit in and trying to be pretty as reasons to starve, but I know many people who have suffered from an ED and most, when asked in a moment of quiet and trust, admit that it's a way of having control when they feel the have none.

Correction, my son was getting 18 oz. of formula every feeding.