Manorexia is a topic up for discussion on FOX 25 News Boston after a study came out in Men’s Health reporting that male eating disorders is on the rise. Dr. Karen Ruskin was called upon and interviewed by Elizabeth Hopkins to share her insights on this topic live on Monday Morning July 18th.
A few of my insights to consider:
Media playing a role in a male’s self image and thereby affecting his desire to have a better looking body although cannot be discounted, as we are all affected by what we see, this is not the single feature as to why there is an increase in men being considered as having an eating disorder.
I contend that we as a culture have become so impulsive, compulsive and obsessive that manorexia is a function of that striving for more, more, more. Once something feels good the human instinct is often to want more of it. Some men are achievement oriented, when they see outcome from exercise they want to keep achieving. Also the competitive instinct within the male plays a role in self-competition to strive for excellence.
In addition, I shared on air that exercise often starts out for some men either as a healthy outlet, an escape, and/or just simply a wonderful choice for the mind and body health and well being. There are some men that what starts out as healthy turns into a feeling of “must” where exercise takes place at all costs to where it takes over their life. It becomes something they are obsessed with, and that is when it becomes a disorder. Often at that point men also become overly concerned with their food intake.
A final point of significance to consider is that exercise is the one thing some men feel they are in control of. In our current climate where many men are out of work due to our economic crisis (that is out of their control), they do not feel they are in control of their relationship (wife or girlfriend whichever is their situation), their family life with their children is not doing well (many struggle with their children not obeying them), the gym is the one place in their life where they see outcome and feel in control of: their body.
If you or a man you care about may be suffering from an eating disorder, please do seek out help. Although this story focus is on manorexia, if you are a female struggling with an eating disorder please do seek out help.
I received many emails asking about this segment for those that missed it. Since this particular segment is not available on line for your viewing pleasure, I am hopeful that providing you with a few bullet points is helpful. You are welcome to comment with any questions you may have.