Anorexia Nervosa in Males: A Report of 12 Cases

Abstract

The demographic and clinical features of 12 male patients with anorexia nervosa were investigated by means of a retrospective analysis of their medical records. The clinical characteristics of the male patients were found to be remarkably similar to those reported for female patients and our findings concur with previously published literature. There appears however to be a greater tendency to exercise excessively. The importance of recognising anorexia nervosa in males is emphasized.

Cross-cultural validity of the eating disorder inventory: A study of Chinese patients with eating disorders in Hong Kong

“…Characteristically, they sample a certain population according to preordained diagnostic criteria (e.g., male patients who satisfy the DSM-IV criteria of anorexia nervosa) and compare it to a prototypical population (i.e., female patients with fat phobic anorexia nervosa). As atypical subjects are already filtered out in the research procedure, the self-fulfilling conclusion is then reached that the two populations are strikingly similar to each other (Touyz, Kopec-Schrader, & Beumont, 1993).…”

Muscle dysmorphia and the DSM‐V conundrum: Where does it belong? A review paper

“…Instead, research has utilized samples of female patients with anorexia nervosa 29 as grounds for comparison despite mounting evidence that male and female manifestations of anorexia nervosa present as markedly dissimilar. 40 The use of bodybuilding males as a group against which to compare males with eating disorders is also problematic given that the male bodybuilders do not necessarily have muscle dysmorphia; this approach is thus vulnerable to minimizing the eating disordered concerns of males with muscle dysmorphia. 30 Furthermore, it is noteworthy that such research has typically utilized assessment tools designed for and validated in samples of eating disordered women, such as the Eating Disorder Inventory, 51 which may not be appropriate for measuring the body image dissatisfaction and eating psychopathology of men.…”

“…40 Compulsive exercise has been implicated in over 80% of cases of anorexia nervosa in the acute phase, 41,42 and patients with anorexia nervosa who engage in excessive exercise have been found to evince higher levels of psychopathology. 43 The features of exercise in anorexia nervosa include adherence to a rigid exercise regimen, priority of exercising over other activities, detailed record keeping, and extreme distress if one is unable to exercise, 42 all of which have been noted frequently in muscle dysmorphia presentations.…”

Gender differences in eating disorder symptoms in young adults

“…A major goal of the present study was to identify types of ED behaviors and attitudes that may also be problematic for men. For example, among men with AN, excessive exercise is said to be a prominent problem (Touyz, Kopec-Schrader, & Beumont, 1993). Although this symptom also is present in many women with AN, excessive exercise and its negative health outcomes have been studied far less than the more typically ''feminine'' symptoms such as over valuation of weight or fear of weight gain.…”