(NC)—Eating disorders are still often thought of as a female problem, or one sometimes affecting gay males. However, an increasing number of eating disorders are being seen in males and minority populations, according to a recent report by the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The same report shows that 5 – 10% of all individuals with an eating disorder are male.

“These are significant numbers of boys and men needing help,” says Merryl Bear, director of the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC), www.nedic.ca, “Whether you are female or male, there's little difference in your degree of unhappiness, pain or danger to health.”

Despite this, men, whose treatment needs are similar to those of women, have difficulty in getting help. This may be related to shame and secrecy about their illness, and because doctors are less likely to identify an eating disorder in males.

“I ended up using food as a form of control to forget about the negativity that was happening and the stress/pressure … Had I gone to the hospital a day later, I may not have been here today,” says Pete Czerwinski about his struggle with anorexia, some of which is documented in the film Furious Pete.

“The good thing is that we are increasingly seeing media stories about the struggles of boys and men with food, weight and shape issues. This helps to make it easier for them – or family members – to reach out to NEDIC and other places for help,” notes Bear “No-one needs to suffer alone.” Increasingly, she says, there are more gender sensitive services available to males across the country.

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