Eating disorders

Razu........

Although eating disorders do afflict some men, they're generally considered women's diseases. "They're often thought of in terms of things generally keyed feminine, such as vanity, self-control, emotionality, and perfectionism," says Rachel Porter, PsyD, CEDS, clinical care advocate at Carolina House, an eating disorder treatment facility, and a board member of the Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA). Anyone who's ever seen a billboard, TV commercial, or women's magazine knows all too well the exponential pressure placed on women to conform to certain standards of thinness and fitness. "Cultural standards for women are heavily geared toward weight, shape, and appearance—and this absolutely impacts women's relationship with food and their body," Porter says. (And eating disorders aren't just a "teen's disease.")
Binge Eating Disorder in particular is the most common type of eating disorder—more prevalent than anorexia and bulimia combined, affecting 2.8 million American adults, according to BEDA. Statistics show that women are twice as likely to have Binge Eating Disorder than men, although it may be partly that men tend to view bingeing as a somewhat normal behavior—"Dude, I ate a whole pizza!"—and not seek help. "For women, bingeing is seen as something to be kept secret, shameful, heavily emotional—and at all costs, something that should be changed," Porter says. "But eating disorders are dangerous for everyone who experiences them, and anyone who is struggling with one absolutely deserves treatment and care."