31 Dec National Association of

Although less commonly discussed, males also suffer from eating disorders, and the disorders are clinically similar to those of females. It is estimated that approximately 10–15% of people with anorexia nervosa or bulimia are male, but they are less likely to seek treatment because of the perception that eating disorders are female diseases (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, Inc., n.d.). Eating disorders are universal diseases that know no boundaries of age, race, or religion. They are psychological disorders that create disturbances to proper diets, causing people to eat very small amounts of food or excessively overeat. Eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and a binge-eating disorder. A binge-eating disorder is in a category defined as eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS). EDNOS involve disturbances in behavior such as restricting diet, excessive exercising, using diet pills or laxatives, and vomiting (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2011).

With these thoughts in mind:

Post by Day 4 your position on which disorder (anorexia, bulimia, or a binge-eating disorder) is more likely to occur in adolescent males. Justify your position using the Learning Resources and current literature. Then explain how media, peer pressure, or sports participation might increase the risk of developing an eating disorder in adolescent males. Finally, suggest one strategy a family or school may use to support an adolescent male with an eating disorder to improve his overall health.

Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.

Respond by Day 6 to at least one of your colleagues who has a differing position in one or more of the following ways:

Share an insight from having read your colleague’s posting.

Offer and support an opinion.

Validate an idea with your own experience.

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.

Click on the Reply button below to reveal the textbox for entering your message. Then click on the Submit button to post your message.

References

National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, Inc. (n.d.) Eating disorders statistics. About Eating Disorders. Retrieved from http://www.anad.org/get-information/about-eating-disorders/eating-disorders-statistics/

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health. (2011). Eating disorders, (NIH Publication No. 11-4901) Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/eating-disorders/complete-index.shtml