A few centuries ago, anorexia in men did not draw attention to itself, but today more than 40% of the stronger sex around the world have health problems due to lack of weight. If more women stop eating after seeing themselves in a photo or in the mirror, then men are more likely to have other psychological difficulties.

In Russia, the disease in men occurs at a late age, or more precisely, after 30 years, and this is associated with mental disorders or a careless attitude towards one’s diet.

Reasons

Nervous stress and poor nutrition are the main reasons for weight loss in 80% of patients. In the photo you can see how anorexia disfigures a man.

Psychological

Our problems come from childhood. Teenagers love to tease and humiliate anyone who has distinctive features, especially being overweight. Mentally unformed boys refuse to eat and rapidly lose weight. If parents do not come to the rescue in time, then over the years the situation worsens and anorexia is inevitable.

Refusal to eat

There are cases when a patient refuses to eat solid food. Liquid foods may not provide the correct amount of vitamins and minerals for full development, and this can lead to anorexia. More than one million people have a fear of chewing solid food, and all of them are on the verge of life and death. Photos by Mark Corn horrified the population of Great Britain. For several years he has been drinking yogurt and tea, as he has a panicky fear of the chewing process.

Some people are simply embarrassed to eat. More than 10% of schoolchildren feel uncomfortable eating food in public, including with close people.

Protest

Teenage protest is also one of the factors of the disease. Refusing to eat to achieve your goal leads to anorexia. A large number of photos can be seen in social groups. Photos of underweight teenagers flood information resources.

Popularity

Blogging is gaining popularity. Men post photos of their weight loss results online. Young guys are trying to achieve fame through strange goals. It’s possible to lose weight in a few months, to lose 10–15 kilograms, but when you feel adrenaline, hunger, and a slight pleasant dizziness, something similar appears, like an addiction, which leads to anorexia. Community followers provide encouragement, which leads to more excitement and popularity.

Active lifestyle

Photos of athletes are not always aesthetically pleasing. Many of them have thin limbs, and this may be the initial stage of anorexia.

Since professional sports are intense, the body requires a large amount of nutrients, and their deficiency leads to exhaustion. In addition to food, vitamin supplements are added to quickly saturate the body with the necessary components.

A large number of men resort to drying to acquire the necessary body parameters, and those who are poorly informed become hostage to anorexia. It is very important to choose the right time for training and eating so as not to sacrifice your health.

Vegetarianism

The raw food diet is becoming more popular. There are people who can't eat meat because they don't like the taste or love animals too much, and another category simply wants to be healthier by eating plant-based foods. It is worth knowing that if the diet is incorrectly prepared, sudden weight loss occurs, which can lead to anorexia.

People who are overweight specifically switch to vegetables and fruits only; such a diet can be dangerous for the gastrointestinal tract. Photos depicting vegetarians are fascinating, but no one pays attention to how many health problems this way of eating brings with it.

Features of work

Anorexia in male models and actors is common. Constant malnutrition and heavy workload lead to exhaustion. This kind of work always requires maintaining a good body shape, and extra pounds negatively affect your career. A large number of photos of celebrities in the media show their dehydrated bodies.

Diet

Active promotion of diets affects the subconscious. On TV, in newspapers and on the Internet, the headlines are full of the names of new weight loss products. A slightly overweight man, wanting to acquire an attractive figure, changes his diet and takes long pauses (1-2 days) between meals. Such diets lead to weight loss, which makes a person happy, but long-term refusal to eat can be fatal.

Symptoms

The main and most noticeable symptom, as can be seen from the photos of patients, is low body weight. Since there is not enough vitamins supplied, the skin color becomes pale. For the same reason, hair rapidly thins, gums bleed, and teeth crumble or fall out. Nails become brittle, which is one of the signs of a lack of microelements.

Insufficient energy leads to rapid fatigue. Anorexics stay indoors all day and spend most of their time sleeping. The patient experiences severe headaches every day. Walking a few meters is a huge challenge and the man periodically loses consciousness.

The body stops accepting food and when eating a large amount of food, a gag reflex occurs. In the photo you can see how depleted the human body is.

Treatment

Doctors: psychologist, psychotherapist and nutritionist should help bring the body back to normal. By developing a course of nutrition and psychological support, it is possible to return to normal life and recover. In the early stages, anorexia can be cured without further complications, but in advanced forms it will take years and sometimes the disease can lead to death.

The psychologist must help the patient cope with the initial problem and make him love life. The psychologist inspires the patient that food is a pleasure and in the right quantities it helps to maintain health and acquire a beautiful body. The psychologist finds a goal that will be the impetus for recovery from anorexia.

In the treatment complex, they also try to select components that can bring the organs of the digestive and excretory systems into operation. Complications usually occur in the kidneys, liver, and stomach.

Every day a man is taught to eat again. In small portions more than six times a day, broths, liquid porridges, and creams are first consumed. Next, more difficult to digest foods are selected, and so on until complete recovery.

In addition to everything, physical exercise should also be present. Initially, this is walking with an increase in the number of steps, since with anorexia the patient experiences difficulty moving. Later, more complex exercises that require more energy.

In some cases, drug treatment is prescribed. Antidepressants and tranquilizers help the patient find peace, understand himself and forget about the problem for a while. Vitamins are prescribed both in tablets and in droppers.

Group treatment for anorexia

It has long been a known fact that people who have the same problems unite and try to support each other. For anorexia, the most effective treatment is group therapy. There are special hospitals, as well as group meetings where patients, communicating with their own kind, help each other recover from their illness.

Family support is also important. Relatives should talk about a bright future and help with food choices. It is very important to communicate with healthy and energetic people.

Consequences

People with anorexia have many health problems and in some cases lose their organs. Looking at photos of patients, you can see how ugly their body and face become, and it is also important to note that with an advanced form of the disease, the man dies.

Male anorexia has some features, differs in the reasons for its development and clinical picture.

Features of male anorexia

Anorexia in men has its own specifics. First of all, this pathology is always a consequence of another disease or psychological disorder and never occurs independently. In the fair sex, anorexia has an independent character.

It is extremely difficult to determine the presence of the disease in a man only by external signs (with the exception of medical specialists). In women, the pathology is pronounced and visible to the naked and unprofessional eye. This difference is due to the fact that the process of losing weight occurs differently in different sexes.

Representatives of the stronger sex rarely go to doctors, not considering the pathology dangerous or serious. This misconception often leads to the development of a number of complications. Male anorexia is much more difficult to treat, but this is not a reason to refuse or interrupt therapy.

Reasons

Anorexia in men always develops against the background of psychological experiences or mental disorders. Most often, the occurrence of pathology is provoked by schizophrenia, psychopathy, neuroses, etc. The disease progresses gradually and proceeds smoothly, so men and the people around them do not notice negative changes.

The factors presented below increase the risk of developing anorexia in representatives of the stronger sex.

• Hereditary predisposition. The likelihood of pathology occurring is much higher if one of the relatives suffered from the disease.
• Constant stress and strong emotional experiences.
• Employment in an industry where appearance plays an important role (actor, model, performer, etc.).
• Obesity or excess weight in childhood and adolescence, as a result of which a man was often subjected to ridicule and ridicule from peers.
• Increased physical activity, which is often inadequate and unbearable for a man.

Symptoms

The main symptom of male anorexia is excessive thinness. Other signs can be divided into psychological and physical. The first includes inappropriate behavior towards food (constant refusal of food, lack of appetite), increased irritability and nervousness. The person becomes secretive and withdrawn, avoids any conversation about his diet and tries to leave the room where someone is going to eat.

The man is dissatisfied with his weight and reflection in the mirror, constantly striving to lose a couple more “extra” kilograms. He achieves weight loss by completely refusing food, using a strict diet or inducing vomiting after every meal.

Physical signs appear gradually: the skin takes on a gray tint and becomes flabby, hair falls out, nails turn yellow, become very peeling and break. Due to a lack of nutrients, teeth deteriorate, and often they simply fall out. There is increased weakness and fatigue.

Treatment

The main goal of treating male anorexia is restoring proper nutrition and normalizing eating behavior. A nutritionist can create a competent diet and help the body return to its normal lifestyle. But a psychologist or psychotherapist will help solve a patient’s psychological or mental problem. This therapy is aimed at restoring mental balance and eliminating internal problems that led to pathology. The earlier treatment is started, the easier and faster the recovery process will be.

It is extremely important for the patient to feel the support of family and friends. They must express understanding and in no case reproach or condemn. It is good if a man suffering from anorexia eats at the same table with healthy people. In some cases, it is recommended to place the patient in a hospital setting, where he can communicate with patients with similar problems, find like-minded people and support.

Therapy must necessarily include therapeutic measures aimed at eliminating and correcting the physical signs of the disease. It is important to restore the normal functioning of the digestive system and eliminate existing diseases. Most often it is a stomach or duodenal ulcer, problems with the functioning of the liver, kidneys and pancreas. Treatment requires a consultation with a gastroenterologist and a full medical examination (laboratory tests, ultrasound, CT, etc.).

To eliminate nutritional deficiencies and restore healthy bones, skin, hair and nails, it is recommended to take multivitamins, minerals and dietary supplements. To restore immunity, immunostimulating drugs are usually prescribed.

In particularly difficult cases, which are accompanied by mental and consciousness disorders, antidepressants and tranquilizers are prescribed. Such drugs are used in exceptional cases - only on the recommendation of a doctor, under his careful supervision and in compliance with the prescribed dosage.

This article is posted for educational purposes only and does not constitute scientific material or professional medical advice.

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Anorexia

Description:

Anorexia (ancient Greek α- - without-, non-, ὄρεξις - urge to eat) is a syndrome consisting of lack of appetite, feeling of hunger, or conscious refusal of food.

Symptoms of Anorexia:

The following types of syndrome are distinguished:

      * Mental anorexia (lat. anorexia psychica) - loss of the feeling of hunger or refusal to eat due to a sharp suppression of appetite in mental illness: depressive and catatonic states, or under the influence of delusional ideas of poisoning, etc.

      * Mental anorexia is painful - a painful feeling of weakening, loss of the ability to realize the feeling of hunger.

      * Anorexia nervosa (lat. anorexia nervosa) is a weakening or loss of the feeling of hunger associated with a persistent and not always psychologically understandable desire to lose weight, excessive restriction of food intake. Sometimes it is aggravated by the use of anorexigenic substances that suppress appetite. It can cause serious consequences: cachexia, metabolic disorders, etc. During the period of cachexia, patients do not pay attention to their repulsive and frightening appearance or are completely satisfied with it. More common in females.

Particularly severe manifestations of this syndrome usually indicate a mental illness, most often schizophrenia.

      * Drug anorexia - caused by taking special anorexigenic drugs for the purpose of weight loss, or by the side effects of other drugs (antidepressants, psychostimulants, etc.).

Causes of Anorexia:

Diseases that lead to anorexia and weight loss are very numerous:

Treatment of Anorexia:

Depends on the underlying disease.

Where to go:

Medicines, drugs, tablets for the treatment of Anorexia:

SC Balkan Pharmaceuticals SRL (Balkan Pharmaceuticals) Republic of Moldova

Multivitamins and microelements.

PHARMATON, SA (Pharmaton) Switzerland

CJSC FP OBOLENSKOE Russia

Ozon LLC Russia

Nycomed Austria GmbH (Nycomed Austria GmbH) Austria

Herbion pakistan, Private limited (Herbion Pakistan, Private Ltd) Pakistan

Vitamins in combination with various substances.

JV LLC "Sperko Ukraine" Ukraine

Other drugs for the treatment of functional disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.

PRO.MED.CS Praha a.s. (PRO.MED.CS, Prague, a.o.) Czech Republic

LLC "Farmland" Republic of Belarus

Gastrointestinal motility stimulator - acetylcholine release stimulator.

Abbott Laboratories (Abbott Laboratories) Netherlands

General tonic of plant origin.

Herbion pakistan, Private limited (Herbion Pakistan, Private Ltd) Pakistan

ZiO-Zdorovye CJSC Russia

Bristol-Myers Squibb Comp. (Bristol-Myers Squibb Comp.) USA

Herbal medicine with hepatoprotective and choleretic effects,

Himalaya Drug Co. (Himalaya Drug Co.) India

Herbal medicine with hepatoprotective and choleretic effects,

Himalaya Drug Co. (Himalaya Drug Co.) India

What causes and what are the symptoms of male anorexia?

Anorexia is a lack of appetite, a complete or partial conscious refusal of food, the goal of anorexia is to reduce body weight.

90% of the world's population are dissatisfied with their appearance, including their weight. A quarter of people with anorexia are men, many of them need medical help, but, as a rule, they do not admit their problems and do not go to doctors. Anorexia nervosa is a fairly common phenomenon in show business and among models.

Anorexia in men is a fairly rare disease. Anorexia nervosa appears at a later age than in women. Male anorexia has similar symptoms but is usually caused by mental disorders (schizophrenia, neuroses, psychopathy).

Risk factors

1. Most often, symptoms of anorexia nervosa develop in men who have been overweight since childhood;
2. Anorexia is one of the symptoms of mental illness; men are more likely to suffer from schizophrenia (which has a hereditary predisposition);
3. Intense physical activity (gymnastics, athletics, figure skating);
4. Professional requirements (models, artists, actors, stewards);
5. Fixation of modern culture on a person’s appearance.

Most often, anorexia nervosa develops in men of small stature, with undeveloped muscle muscles, with dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract, and intolerance to certain foods.

In the family, such men were brought up, as a rule, without a father, in love and care; mother and grandmother tried to protect their beloved boy from life’s problems. By nature, men from childhood are closed, uncommunicative, rarely express their emotions, they evaluate themselves as incompetent in many matters, indecisive people, passive.

Typically, psychological problems begin during puberty, when peers laugh at a boy with “chubby cheeks, a tummy and a round butt.” Teenagers are very sensitive to any criticism regarding their appearance, especially the opinion of their peers. With age, complexes about their appearance intensify, and many boys, having come up with a certain ideal or standard of beauty, try to strive for it, refusing to eat, they can lose 15-50% of their original weight.

Along with anorexia nervosa, teenage boys experience dysmorphomania syndrome (delusional or overvalued ideas of dissatisfaction with their appearance). In addition to their apparent fatness, teenagers may suffer from “ears that stick out too much” or a “nose that is too long.” Over time, all children's complexes and problems intensify and manifest themselves in various neuroses, depression, and hypochondria.

Signs

• men refuse food and go on low-calorie diets;
• after eating they induce vomiting;
• after eating even a small amount of food, they feel heaviness in the stomach and nausea;
• engage in intense training, causing severe physical exhaustion.

Men are less likely than women to vomit after eating; they are more inclined to limit themselves in food consumption, because “There is no time to eat,” “I work a lot, I get tired, I have no time to think about food,” “Food clogs the human body. I need to cleanse myself physically and spiritually.”

At the age of approximately 40 years and older, especially after suffering a serious illness or stress, a man begins to think about health, about life expectancy, reads a lot of specialized literature: “How to cleanse the liver”, “How to remove toxins from the body”, “Basic principles of a healthy diet” " After reading such literature, many men begin to limit themselves in food, engage in “therapeutic fasting”, some become vegetarians or raw foodists. These cleansing techniques do not always lead the human body to cleanse; on the contrary, metabolism is disrupted, chronic diseases worsen, or new health problems arise. But for men who are engaged in “cleansing the body” this is another reason to continue their health-improving techniques in the future.

As the disease progresses, men begin to show signs of mental disorders (the range of interests narrows, thinking changes, and the person becomes more and more self-absorbed).

If anorexia in men acts as an independent disease, and not as a symptom of schizophrenia, then it has generally recognized manifestations.

Clinical manifestations

The symptoms of anorexia nervosa in men are very diverse, depending on the reasons that caused it.

• weight loss;
• decreased skin turgor and subcutaneous fat layer;
• hair loss, thin and dry hair, early baldness;
• diseases of the gums and teeth;
• deterioration of nail condition;
• muscle weakness, fatigue, headaches, dizziness;
• refusal of food, change in diet.

A man who is ill with anorexia looks exhausted, tired, with a dull look, with bruises under his eyes, sunken cheeks. Such people constantly monitor their weight, weigh themselves, and monitor their waist and hip measurements.

At the beginning of losing weight, patients with anorexia may sometimes feel hungry, but as the disease progresses, this feeling becomes dull and they have no appetite. Men with anorexia nervosa experience fear before eating food; after eating, an unpleasant feeling of heaviness and discomfort occurs in the stomach. Over time, vomiting does not need to be induced artificially; it can occur reflexively, with a slight tilt of the torso or by pressing the hand on the epigastric area.

Men with anorexia nervosa themselves come up with a maximum figure for their own weight, even with an existing lack of body weight, it seems to them that they are very plump. The thinness of such anorexic men is sometimes ugly; such people have formed delusional ideas in their heads (as in schizophrenia) that defy any criticism and logic; it is almost impossible to convince them otherwise. Men with symptoms of anorexia are not active in social activities; they, as a rule, do not have a family and lead a closed lifestyle.

Anorexia nervosa can lead to gastritis and enterocolitis.

Lack of appetite and weight loss can be symptoms of depression. In this case, there is a decrease in mood, apathy, sleep disturbance, and pessimism.

People suffering from anorexia develop a panicky fear of gaining weight, they experience a feeling of guilt after every piece of food they eat, and if they manage to abstain from food during the day, then this is perceived as a small victory over themselves, over their weaknesses. At the onset of the disease, patients with symptoms of anorexia can behave actively, not feel tired, and play sports.

Some men take laxatives and do daily cleansing enemas to lose weight. All this further leads to disruption of the gastrointestinal tract, deficiency of vitamins and microelements, a tendency to constipation, decreased tone of the rectal sphincter, inflammatory diseases of the large intestine and rectal prolapse. Anorexic patients can arrange an artificial gastric lavage by drinking 2-3 liters of water after eating, and then induce artificial vomiting.

Some people with anorexia may chew food, then spit it into jars; the entire room may be filled with bags of chewed food.

Some men use passive methods of losing weight and reducing appetite - they smoke a lot, take appetite suppressants, psychostimulants, use diuretics, and drink a lot of black coffee.

Treatment

Men with symptoms of anorexia nervosa very rarely seek help from a doctor. Mostly, male patients with signs of mental illness, or those patients who have brought themselves to an extreme degree of exhaustion - cachexia, are admitted to medical institutions. The purpose of medical care is to improve the general somatic condition, restore water and electrolyte balance, prescribe medications, and psychotherapy. Restoring the function of the patient’s gastrointestinal tract and gradually increasing the caloric content of food are of great importance.

All information provided on this site is for reference only and does not constitute a call to action. If you notice any symptoms, you should immediately consult a doctor. Do not self-medicate or self-diagnose.

Anorexia. Causes, diagnosis and effective treatment of the disease.

Frequently Asked Questions

The site provides reference information. Adequate diagnosis and treatment of the disease is possible under the supervision of a conscientious doctor.

Prevalence of anorexia

Causes of Anorexia Nervosa

The theory is based on the sexual, physical changes that occur during adolescence. Teenage girls are dissatisfied with their appearance (roundness of shape, growing breasts).

Risk factors in the development of anorexia

Possible dysfunction of neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine) responsible for eating behavior.

The process is more important than the result. Fear of returning to normal eating and a challenge to those who want to force them to eat normally.

Stages of anorexia nervosa

• Pre-anorexic - thoughts about one’s own inferiority and ugliness appear in it, associated with imaginary fatness. The mood decreases, the patient searches for the ideal diet.
• Anorexic – constant fasting. Body weight decreases. Patients feel satisfied and tighten their diet even more.
• Cachectic – irreversible degeneration of internal organs develops. It usually occurs 1.5-2 years after the start of stage 1. Weight loss is more than 50% of ideal body weight.

Symptoms of anorexia

Patients with anorexia refuse to eat with their family or in public places.

Some patients cannot refuse to eat food. Patients eat

large portions of food at night, and then induce vomiting, take diuretics (diuretics), laxatives to lose body weight.

Girls develop vellus hair on their face and back.

Diagnosis of anorexia

Analysis of thyroid hormones: reduced levels of hormones in the blood.

Treatment of anorexia

1. Avoid dystrophy (massive weight loss), as it is irreversible

2. Prevent dehydration (massive loss of water from the body)

3. Restore the balance of electrolytes (Na, Ca, K, Mg) in the blood.

The diet begins with a meal of 500 calories, divided into 6 servings, since a sharp increase in calorie content can lead to overload of the gastrointestinal tract. It is important not to let the patient burp after eating. To avoid vomiting, they resort to medication - most often subcutaneous injection of atropine.

In some cases, intravenous injections of a 40% solution of glucose and insulin in a certain proportion are used.

Gradually the calorie content of food is increased. A high-calorie diet is prescribed 6 times a day.

After the patient has gained 2-3 kilograms, they move on to the next stage.

Family therapy aims to improve family relationships.

How does anorexia begin in teenagers? What are the first signs of the disease?

• Dissatisfaction with your figure. Often teenagers are confident for no reason that they are overweight. Fear of obesity becomes an obsession. This topic constantly comes up in conversations. A teenager studies information about weight loss techniques and communicates on forums for losing weight.
• Obsessive thoughts about food and counting calories. The teenager chooses only low-calorie and low-fat foods.
• Unusual eating behavior:
  • using small plates;
  • cutting food into very small pieces;
  • swallowing food without chewing;
  • hiding food from oneself.
• Refusal to eat. Radical diets - baking soda, juices, cucumbers.
• Losing weight with:
  • excessive exercise;
  • laxatives or diuretics;
  • diet pills, appetite suppressants, fat burners.
• Changes in behavior
  • secrecy;
  • loss of friends;
  • drowsiness or insomnia;
  • irritability or depression;
  • wearing baggy clothes to hide extreme thinness;
  • complaints of a constant feeling of cold associated with poor blood circulation; cold hands and feet.
• Appearance changes
  • sunken eyes;
  • puffy face;
  • hair becomes dull, breaks, falls out;
  • skin is dry, yellowish, flaky;
  • nails peel and break;
  • growth of vellus hair throughout the body;
  • protruding ribs, collarbones;
  • swollen joints that seem too large against the background of emaciated arms and legs.

  Despite the obvious signs of the disease, the teenager ignores significant thinness and other symptoms of anorexia.

• General hormonal disorders. In teenage girls, they manifest themselves as menstrual irregularities and absence of menstruation for more than 3 months.
• Significant weight loss not associated with disease. There are 2 ways to determine the critical weight.
  • Reducing body weight by 15% from the minimum acceptable level, which is found using the formula “height minus 110”. For example, for a girl 172 cm tall, the minimum permissible weight is 62 kg. 15% in this case is 9.3 kg. 62-9.3=52.7 kg. If a girl 172 cm tall weighs less than 52.7 kg, this is a sign of exhaustion.
  • Body mass index less than 17.5. Body mass index is the ratio of a person’s weight and height. To calculate it, use the formula I = m / h 2. Where m is body weight in kilograms, and h is height in meters. For example, a teenage girl has a weight of 50 kg and a height of 165. Then the calculation of the body mass index will look like this: 50: (1.65x1.65) = 18.3 According to the norms, the threshold level beyond which anorexia is diagnosed is not yet passed

How to help loved ones with anorexia? Having noticed the first signs of anorexia in teenagers, try to establish contact with the child, this will make it easier for you to persuade him to start treatment.

• Don't be a regulatory body. Don't count the calories you eat, but reward every meal. Prepare dietary meals that you choose together with a nutritionist or on your own.
• Listen without criticizing. Support is important for a teenager. To recover, he needs to feel that he is not alone, that he is loved and accepted for who he is.
• Don't criticize appearance. Phrases: “What have you done to yourself?! Look what you look like!” can break the fragile connection established between you and the patient. The teenager will lose contact with adequate people and will begin to look for support on forums for losing weight, where anorexia is considered a “great achievement.”
• Don't shout or show your anger. Anorexia is a nervous disease often based on self-hatred and the inability to manage one's emotions. Avoid threats: “If you don’t eat, you’ll end up in the hospital.” Your anger will only worsen the patient’s condition and provoke refusal of treatment.
• Avoid conflicts in the family. Quarrels between parents often crystallize into anorexia in children.
• Convince you to see a specialist. If the threshold of exhaustion has not been crossed, then there is no need to go to the hospital and consultations with a psychologist and diet correction will be sufficient. As a last resort, you can consult a psychologist yourself, without the knowledge of the patient.

Prevention of anorexia is based on normal self-esteem and a healthy lifestyle. It is better to start it in early childhood.

• Don't focus on diets. In a family where the mother is extremely concerned about her appearance, losing weight and dieting, the topic of being slim is extremely discussed. In this case, the daughter’s risk of developing eating disorders also increases.
• Encourage your teenager to exercise daily. Sports and dancing improve your figure and mood. Physically active people are characterized by mental health and tend to objectively assess themselves and the surrounding reality. However, among adolescents who are professionally involved in sports, the percentage of patients with anorexia is very high, which is associated with the assumption that excess weight worsens athletic performance.
• Form the right attitude towards food. By telling your child “you’re fat” or “stop eating,” you create a negative attitude towards yourself, which often results in anorexia. You should not praise your child for overeating: “well done, he ate the same portion as an adult.” Do not reward your child with food for good deeds and diligent study. Don’t teach people to “eat away” troubles.
• Help your teenager lose weight. If your child is truly overweight, then support his desire to lose weight. The first task is to explain that it is important not only to lose weight, but also to stay healthy. To do this, you need to adjust your diet and increase physical activity. The ideal rate is considered to be a loss of 0.5-1 kg per month. Proper nutrition and exercise should become an integral part of life. But the few kilograms lost during the diet will quickly return as soon as he switches back to his usual diet.
• Teach your child to love himself. Each person is unique and no features of the figure prevent him from achieving success and being happy. Praise your child for his successes and achievements.

Anorexia in adolescents is especially dangerous and quickly leads to exhaustion due to the fact that the body's fat reserves are very small. Therefore, it is so important to seek help from a specialist in a timely manner.

What are the consequences of anorexia?

• Disorders of the central nervous system associated with insufficient brain nutrition
  • loss of strength;
  • decreased performance;
  • decreased concentration;
  • memory impairment;
  • family conflicts;
  • mood swings;
  • social self-isolation - avoids communication;
  • alcoholism;
  • depression;
  • thoughts of one's own uselessness and suicide.
• Decreased immunity
  • frequent colds accompanied by purulent complications (otitis, sinusitis);
  • exacerbation of chronic diseases;
  • periodic styes;
  • frequent stomatitis.
• Osteoporosis. Violation of mineral metabolism leads to the fact that calcium is washed out of the bones and they become brittle. Decreased bone density causes young girls to have bones like those of 70-year-olds.
  • frequent fractures, among which fracture of the femoral neck is especially dangerous;
  • pain along the spine, possible attacks of acute pain associated with deformation of the vertebrae;
  • stoop, decrease in height by 3 cm or more.
• Hypoglycemia. A decrease in blood glucose concentration below 2.5 mmol/l, caused by fasting, significantly impairs the functioning of the nervous system. Vascular function deteriorates and cerebral edema develops. Its manifestations:
  • increased agitation, feeling of fear;
  • hallucinations;
  • convulsions;
  • coma.
• Hypokalemia. A decrease in the level of potassium ions in the blood during anorexia is associated with the abuse of diuretics. Potassium deficiency leads to disruption of muscle cells.
  • heart fluttering, chest pain;
  • muscle weakness;
  • muscle pain;
  • intestinal obstruction;
  • paresis and paralysis.
• Cardiac dysfunction associated with impaired contractility of the heart muscle. In severe cases, the development of acute heart failure can be fatal.
  • bradycardia - slow heart rate, slow pulse below 60 beats per minute. Heart rhythm disturbances can cause cardiac arrest;
  • decreased blood pressure, which is accompanied by severe weakness.
• Hormonal disorders. Decreased secretion of hormones by endocrine glands
  • the level of stress hormones increases, which is expressed in hysterics and depression;
  • the level of female sex hormones decreases - disappearance of menstruation, infertility;
  • the concentration of thyroid hormones, which regulate metabolic processes in the body, decreases.
• Impaired kidney function. Disturbances in salt metabolism lead to an increase in the concentration of salts in the urine. As a result, sand and stones form in the kidneys. Parallel developing dystrophic changes in the kidney parenchyma lead to acute renal failure - a sudden disruption of all kidney functions (filtration, secretory and excretory). Without urgent assistance, death is possible.
  • the appearance of sand and kidney stones;
  • swelling of the face and limbs;
  • severe pain in the lower back.

Complications of anorexia are reversible only in the initial stages, so as soon as you notice signs of the disease, seek help from a specialist.

How to cure anorexia on your own?

• Help identify the causes of the disease;
• Teach to adequately perceive your body and the attitude of others;
• Get rid of the fear of food and the fear of gaining weight;
• Increase self-esteem.

What diet is needed for anorexia?

2. It is worth starting with eating a small amount of food, gradually increasing portions.

3. A vegetarian diet with a calorie content of 1400 kcal, which provides weight gain of 0.3 kg per week. A low-calorie diet lasts 7-10 days. Then they switch to a higher calorie diet.

4. It’s better to start with diluted juices and liquid foods. Gradually, you can introduce mushy foods to avoid discomfort in the mouth.

5. Meals should be small and frequent, approximately 5-6 times a day. In this way, it is possible to avoid the feeling of fullness in the stomach and the discomfort associated with delayed gastric emptying.

6. Organize a drinking regime, since patients who abuse laxatives, diuretics or induce vomiting often suffer from dehydration. However, it must be taken into account that when you resume eating, edema may appear.

8. Patients who refuse to eat are given tube feeding, when food is introduced through a tube directly into the stomach. It is often supplemented by intravenous administration of nutrient solutions.

9. The diet is compiled individually, taking into account what foods the patient, in his opinion, is able to tolerate. The menu is based on table No. 11 according to Pevzner.

To increase appetite, it is recommended to drink a little sour fruit juice before meals, 2 tbsp. L cabbage juice, suck a slice of lemon, drink an infusion of wormwood or calamus root. Mild spices and herbs are added to dishes, which also improve appetite.

• fatty meats and fish - pork, lamb, mackerel;
• fatty rich broths;
• vegetables containing coarse fiber - eggplants, peas, radishes, spinach;
• pickled vegetables and mushrooms;
• confectionery with cream;
• strong coffee.

Why do they say that anorexia is fatal?

The most common causes of death in anorexia are:

• extreme exhaustion and dystrophy of internal organs;
• dysfunction of vital organs (kidneys, liver);
• arrhythmia, which can cause cardiac arrest;
• disturbance of electrolyte metabolism;
• secondary infections (pneumonia, tuberculosis) developing against a background of weakened immunity;
• suicide.

How are anorexia and bulimia related?

• Patients are dissatisfied with their weight - they consider themselves fat and strive to lose weight;
• They hide their behavior from others;
• They do not admit that they have disabilities;
• They do not notice the symptoms of the disease;
• Periodically experience acute attacks of hunger;
• Cannot stop despite obvious signs of illness;
• Abuse laxatives, diuretics, diet pills;
• Bring your body to exhaustion;
• Resist treatment.

In 20% of cases, bulimia develops against the background of anorexia. At the same time, patients refuse to eat, but at least 2 times a week they experience bouts of gluttony, when they indiscriminately absorb any food. This breakdown is often followed by inducing vomiting. Sometimes they try to get rid of the calories they eat by other methods: intense exercise, laxatives.

• Psychodynamic psychotherapy - reveals the reasons that caused deviations in eating behavior;
• Behavioral therapy - normalizes the attitude towards your body and food intake.

In some cases, hospitalization may be required.

• Significant weight loss;
• Metabolic disorders;
• Severe depression;
• Suicidal tendencies;
• Ineffectiveness of outpatient treatment.

Photos of patients with anorexia

How does anorexia occur in men?

• Anorexia in men is often associated with various mental disorders - schizophrenia, neuroses.
• Men don't talk about their desire to lose weight. They are more secretive, unlike women who constantly discuss ways to lose weight.
• Men are more purposeful, they firmly adhere to their promise to refuse certain foods. They are less likely to have eating disorders.
• A large percentage of sick men refuse food for ideological reasons. They are supporters of body cleansing, raw foodism, veganism, sun-eating or other nutritional systems.
• Anorexia affects not only young men who strive to meet the standards of beauty, but also men over 40 who are interested in methods of cleansing the body and various spiritual practices. You can often hear phrases from them that “food is an obstacle to mental development”, “refusing food prolongs life and purifies the spirit.”
• The character of patients is dominated by asthenic and schizoid traits, in contrast to women, who are characterized by hysterical traits.
• Delusional ideas about imaginary fatness sometimes serve as a distraction for a man. At the same time, he tends not to notice real physical defects, which sometimes disfigure his appearance.

Factors that provoke anorexia in men

• Growing up in a single-parent family in an atmosphere of excessive care from the mother. The boy is afraid that as he gains weight, he will grow up and lose the love of his family. By remaining thin, he tries to avoid the responsibilities and hardships of adult life. Such men continue to live with their parents into adulthood.
• Critical statements from others regarding excess weight. This can cause psychological trauma.
• Participation in certain sports that require strict control over body weight - sports dancing, ballet, running, jumping, figure skating.
• Professions related to show business - singers, actors, fashion models. People employed in these professions sometimes pay excessive attention to their appearance, which causes thoughts about their own imperfections and excess weight.
• Self-punishment. Boys and men work themselves to the point of exhaustion, reducing the feeling of guilt for undiagnosed aggression towards the father or forbidden sexual desire.
• Schizophrenia in one of the parents, the tendency to which is inherited. The risk of anorexia nervosa is high in young men whose parents suffered from anorexia, phobia, anxious depression, and psychosis.
• Homosexuality. In specialized publications, a cult of lean male bodies is created, which encourages young men to refuse food.

The manifestations of anorexia in men and women are largely similar. In 70% of patients, the onset of the disease occurs at age. If parents failed to notice and stop them, then the symptoms slowly increase.

• Painful attention to one's appearance.
• The tendency to eat normally once and then starve for weeks.
• Tendency to hide food. To convince relatives that the patient is “eating normally,” he may hide or throw away his portion of food.
• Decreased sexual interest and potency, which is analogous to female amenorrhea (lack of menstruation).
• Traditional methods of losing weight include refusing to eat, excessive exercise and vomiting, enemas, and colon therapy. However, morbid attachment to vomiting is less common than in women.
• Unmotivated aggression. Rude attitude towards close people, especially parents.
• Refusal to be photographed. Patients argue that their “fullness” is more noticeable in photographs.
• Hypochondria. A man is overly concerned about his health and suspects that he has serious illnesses. Natural sensations (especially the feeling of fullness in the stomach) seem painful to him.
• Changes in appearance appear after a few months - weight loss (up to 50% of body weight), dry skin, hair loss.
• The tendency to alcoholism is an attempt to cope with emotions and drown out thoughts about food and losing weight.

At first, losing weight causes euphoria. There is a lightness and a feeling of victory when the appetite has been curbed, which causes deep satisfaction in the patient. Over time, appetite disappears and the body's resources are depleted. Vigor is replaced by irritability and chronic fatigue. The way of thinking changes, delusional ideas are formed that cannot be corrected. The body becomes painfully thin, but the man continues to perceive himself as fat. Brain malnutrition affects the ability to think clearly and process information. Long-term abstinence from food leads to organic brain damage.

• psychoanalysis;
• behavioral therapy;
• family psychotherapy with the patient's relatives.

2. Drug treatment. Medicines can only be prescribed by a doctor, and the dosage depends on the severity of the symptoms of the disease.

• Neuroleptics Clozapine and Olanzapine are used for the first 6 months of treatment. They promote weight gain and reduce delusions regarding obesity. The dose of the drug is determined individually. After achieving a therapeutic effect, it is gradually reduced. If an exacerbation occurs, the dose is increased to the initial dose.
• Atypical antipsychotics Risperidone and Risset eliminate the negative manifestations of the disease, but do not reduce performance or interfere with work and study. Take medications constantly or only when symptoms of the disease occur. Treatment with atypical drugs can last from 6 months to one and a half years.
• Vitamin preparations. B vitamins normalize the functioning of the nervous system, helping to eradicate the root cause of the disease. Vitamins A and E improve the production of hormones, promote the restoration of the skin and its appendages, as well as the mucous membranes of internal organs.

3. Reflexology (acupuncture). During sessions, reflex points are affected, which stimulates appetite and restores impaired metabolism.

Anorexia in a child, what to do?

• Parents feed the child, forcing him to eat too large portions. As a result, an aversion to food is formed.
• Monotonous diet, which creates a negative attitude towards food.
• Previous severe infectious diseases - diphtheria, hepatitis, tuberculosis.
• Psycho-emotional stress – sudden acclimatization, death of a loved one, parental divorce.
• The abundance of unhealthy and sweet foods in the diet disrupts digestion and metabolism.
• Excessive care and control on the part of parents. Often found in single-parent families, where a child is raised without a father by his mother and grandmother.
• Dissatisfaction with one's appearance, which is often based on parental criticism and peer ridicule.
• Hereditary predisposition to mental illness.

What are the signs of anorexia in a child?

• Eating disorders – refusal to eat or a certain set of foods (potatoes, cereals, meat, sweets).
• Physical signs include weight loss, dry skin, sunken eyes, dark circles under the eyes.
• Behavioral changes – sleep disturbances, irritability, frequent tantrums, decreased academic performance.

What to do if you notice signs of anorexia in a child?

• Make eating an enjoyable experience. Create comfort in the kitchen. While your child is eating, find a few minutes to sit next to him and ask him how the day went, what was the most pleasant event today.
• Start eating healthy as a family. For example, instead of pies, cook baked apples with cottage cheese; instead of frying potatoes or fish, bake them in foil. Focus not on the fact that this will make you lose weight, but that proper nutrition is the basis of beauty, health and vigor. Being slim is just a pleasant consequence of a healthy lifestyle.
• Follow family rituals related to food. Bake meat according to your grandmother's recipe, marinate fish, as is customary in your family. Share these secrets with your child. Rituals make the child feel like he is part of a group and give him a sense of security.
• Go shopping together. Make a rule: everyone buys a new, preferably “healthy” product. It could be yogurt, an exotic fruit, a new type of cheese. Then you can try it at home and decide whose choice is better. This way you instill in your child the idea that healthy food brings pleasure.
• Don't insist on your own. Give your child a choice, strive for a compromise. This applies to all aspects of life. A child who is overly controlled in everything takes control of what is left to him - his food. Avoid categorical demands. If you think it's cold outside, don't shout at your daughter to put on a hat, but offer your child an acceptable choice: a headband, a hat, or a hood. The same applies to food. Ask what the child will like, offering a choice of 2-3 acceptable dishes. If your daughter flatly refuses dinner, move lunch to a later time.
• Involve your child in the cooking process. Watch cooking shows together, choose recipes on the Internet that you would like to try. There are a huge number of tasty and healthy low-calorie dishes that do not increase the risk of gaining weight.
• Encourage dancing and sports. Regular physical training increases appetite and promotes the production of endorphins - “happiness hormones”. It is advisable that the child exercise for his own pleasure, since professional activities aimed at winning competitions can provoke a desire to lose weight and cause anorexia and bulimia.
• Consult a cosmetologist or fitness trainer if your child is unhappy with his appearance and weight. Children often ignore the advice of their parents, but listen to the opinions of unfamiliar experts. Such specialists will help you create a proper nutrition program that improves skin condition and prevents excess weight gain.
• Listen carefully to your child. Avoid categorical judgments and do not deny the problem: “Don’t talk nonsense. Your weight is normal." Give reasons for your reasons. Together, calculate the ideal weight formula, find the minimum and maximum values ​​for this age. Promise to help fight for beauty ideals and stick to your word. It is better to prepare a diet soup for your child than for a rebellious daughter to fundamentally skip a meal consisting of a high-calorie roast.
• Find areas where your child can self-actualize. He should feel successful, useful and indispensable. To generate interest in various activities, attend a variety of events with your child: exhibitions, dance group competitions and sports competitions. Encourage him to try his hand at a wide variety of sections and clubs. Give sincere praise for every small achievement. Then the teenager will take root in the idea that success and positive emotions can be associated not only with physical attractiveness. And new acquaintances and vivid impressions will distract you from thoughts about the imperfection of your body.
• Help your child receive complete and comprehensive information. If your child wants to stick to a diet, then find detailed instructions on this topic. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the contraindications and read about the dangers and consequences of this diet. For example, it has been proven that supporters of protein diets are at risk of cancer. The more your child knows, the better protected he will be. Thus, due to a lack of understanding of the full danger of the problem, many girls stubbornly search the Internet for advice on “how to get anorexia?” In their minds, this is not a serious mental illness, but an easy path to beauty.

Remember that if over the course of 1-2 months you have not been able to correct your child’s eating behavior, then seek advice from a psychologist.

How to avoid relapse of anorexia?

• Take medications prescribed by your doctor. Strictly follow the dosage and duration of use. If you notice that all your thoughts are related to food and losing weight, then you need to tell your doctor about it. He will adjust the dose of medication, which will avoid exacerbation of anorexia.
• Don't diet. Don't set any restrictions for yourself - eat a little of everything. Create a nutrition program for yourself that will include all the foods you need for health. From healthy foods and dishes, choose those that you like and include them in your menu. Your diet must include sources of protein (meat, fish, dairy products, cheese), vegetables, fruits in any form and grains.
• Eat small meals every three hours. A small amount of food regularly entering the body will help you not to constantly think about food, restore the functioning of the digestive system and improve metabolism. It will be better if you make a menu in advance and keep the food you need for the day in the refrigerator. It can be fruits, yogurt, cottage cheese, boiled meat, baked vegetables, cheese, juice with pulp. Don't give up sweets completely.
• Don't watch fashion magazines or fashion shows. Don't compare yourself to models. Many of them suffer from anorexia and bulimia, and cannot be an example for you.
• Pamper yourself. The reward should not be food. This could be new clothes, manicure, pedicure, SPA, massage, visits to master classes or tickets to events that interest you.
• Communicate with people and don't isolate yourself. Attend group therapy classes, meet with friends. Surround yourself with people who are interested not only in your appearance, but also in your inner world. Cut off contacts with friends who are constantly losing weight and dieting. Do not visit forums and sites dedicated to this topic.
• Find yourself a hobby. Art therapy is widely used to prevent exacerbations. If you don’t know where to start, go to a handmade store, where there is now a huge selection of goods for creativity.
• Avoid stressful situations. Change your behavior so that you avoid conflicts and don’t get upset over little things. Stress can give rise to negative thoughts, which makes it tempting to stop eating again.

Scientists agree that anorexia is a chronic disease characterized by periods of calm and relapses. This food addiction is compared to diabetes: a person must constantly monitor his condition, follow preventive measures, and begin drug treatment when the first signs of the disease appear. This is the only way to stop the return of anorexia in time and prevent a relapse.

In the article we discuss anorexia in men. We will tell you how to identify the disease based on psychological and clinical signs, and what triggers the disease. You will learn what types of anorexia exist and how to deal with them.

Does it happen to men? Anorexia is much less common in men than in women. Of all those suffering from this disease, 5-10% of patients are representatives of the stronger half of humanity.

Anorexia occurs not only in women, but also in men

Causes of anorexia in men:

1. Excess weight in childhood. If a boy was overweight, growing up, he becomes fixated on the problem and tries in every possible way to reduce body weight.
2. Mental disorder. Men are more likely than women to suffer from schizophrenia. In most cases, the disease is genetic.
3. Professional sports. Some sports require strict weight control, so athletes try to lose weight in various ways. This is true for gymnasts, track and field athletes and figure skaters.
4. Costs of the profession. Men involved in activities such as modeling, theater or film, stewards are very often focused on their appearance.
5. The cult of thinness in modern society. The beauty industry promotes a thin, toned body through television, the Internet and other media.

All of the above reasons are related to psychological aspects.

Types of anorexia in men

The causes of anorexia are divided into biological, psychological and social. The disease occurs in its pure form against the background of low self-esteem or as a result of a mental disorder - schizophrenia, neuroses, psychopathy and bulimia. Very rarely the disorder is caused by stress. Recently, cases of the disease have become more frequent due to vegetarianism, veganism and raw food diet.

Signs and symptoms of anorexia in men

The first signs of anorexia in men usually appear during adolescence. Close people should pay attention when the actions of one of the family members become intrusive:

• voluntary fasting - a man refuses food for a long time or goes on a diet with low-calorie foods;
• gag reflex - after eating (even if it was a light snack), he tries in every possible way to induce vomiting in order to empty the stomach of food that has entered there;
• unconscious desire for gastrointestinal upset - after eating a man feels like he has a heaviness in his stomach and a feeling of nausea;
• grueling training - excessively intense exercise that causes physical exhaustion.

Clinical signs of anorexia in men appear over time and indicate that the disease is already progressing. These include:

• low body mass index;
• lack of subcutaneous fat;
• brittleness and dryness of hair;
• severe baldness;
• separation of the nail plates, their fragility;
• dental problems (diseases of gums and teeth);
• lack of stamina;
• muscle weakness;
• fatigue;
• frequent headaches;
• depression.

Some men unconsciously become interested in the rules of healthy eating. At first glance, there is nothing wrong with this. But for anorexics, this idea becomes obsessive. They cover up their problem with the desire to cleanse the body. Many of them first become adherents of a raw food diet and fasting. As a result, various diseases worsen, some of them become chronic. A man, instead of normalizing his diet, begins to delve even deeper into “health” practices.

A pathological desire to lose weight can cause a number of diseases:

• anemia;
• gastritis;
• enterocolitis;
• gallbladder problems;
• malfunction of the pancreas;
• liver and kidney pathologies;
• hormonal disorders;
• leukocytosis;
• thrombocytosis.

There are a lot of tables that allow you to subtract anorexia in men. You can independently determine anorexia in guys by height and weight. The weight norm up to 40 years is determined by the formula “height minus 110”, after 40 years - “height minus 100”. The result of “height minus 125” is recognized as anorexia. That is, if you are 185 cm, then your ideal weight before 40 years old should be 75 kg, after 40 years old - 85 kg. But if your weight is 60 kg or less, then this can already be considered a sign of the disease.

Of course, such judgments are very unprofessional, because when making such a diagnosis, the food attitude test (EAT-26) is used, psychological aspects and the presence of chronic diseases are taken into account.

During annual medical examinations at military registration and enlistment offices, guys of military age are examined by endocrinologists, who, using special measurements and tests, can diagnose the disease.

As anorexia progresses, the patient begins to develop mental disorders. If you notice symptoms in a man such as a narrowing of his circle of interests, pronounced self-absorption, you need to begin treatment for anorexia immediately.

Treatment of anorexia in men

Family psychotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of anorexia

Doctors state the fact that male anorexia is more difficult to treat than female anorexia. This is due to the patient’s reluctance to admit the problem until the last moment. If the disease is provoked by mental disorders, then it is almost impossible to get rid of it.

Treatment involves a set of actions:

• behavioral psychotherapy;
• drug treatment;
• nutritional rehabilitation;
• therapeutic nutrition.

These four factors are combined for the reason that eliminating the disease must be carried out not only at the physical, but also at the psychological level.

Drug therapy

Anorexia in boys is treated with the following drugs:

• psychotropics;
• antidepressants;
• multivitamin complexes;
• medications to increase appetite;
• tablets to normalize metabolism.

Since in advanced cases anorexia is accompanied by a malfunction of internal organs, doctors prescribe concomitant therapy.

Psychotherapy

During psychotherapy sessions, the patient's distorted consciousness is corrected - the man begins to perceive himself as he is. It is important to rid him of his inferiority complex and low self-esteem. With the help of cognitive restructuring, negative, intrusive thoughts are eliminated.

During treatment, the patient must keep a diary in which he describes everything related to his diet - what foods and in what volumes he consumed, how many times a day he ate and at what time.

In the case of patients under the age of majority, psychotherapists prescribe family sessions. At the appointment, the doctor identifies possible problems in the family (overprotection - the grandmother or mother thought that their son was very thin, so he was “fattened” as a child), and the patient’s relationship with parents and other family members is adjusted.

One of the psychological methods for correcting self-perception is reading books and watching films about anorexia.

Diet for anorexia in men

During treatment, nutritionists most often do not educate patients in the intricacies of calculating calorie content, the amount of necessary proteins, fats and carbohydrates, as this can provoke a desire to control weight and reduce food volumes. When measuring body weight, the results are not disclosed to the patient. You will also have to get rid of your home scales.

The diet of an anorexic requires the presence of the following foods:

• cereals - porridge, grain bread, cookies, etc.;
• vegetables, fruits and berries in any form, freshly squeezed juices;
• proteins - meat, fish, eggs, soy products, legumes;
• dairy products - cheese, cottage cheese, fermented milk drinks, milk;
• fats - vegetable oils, butter.

When treating anorexia in men at home, a nutritionist sets meal times. The doctor tries to make the recovery process comfortable so that the patient does not have a crisis again and does not return to the desire to lose weight by any means.

For more information about anorexia in men, watch the video:

What to remember

1. Anorexia is a serious disease that is accompanied by a malfunction of the entire body. Men are less susceptible to it than women, but treatment takes longer.
2. Most often the disease is psychological in nature. For some, it is a childhood trauma, for others, it is an obsessive desire to improve oneself, for others, the disease is triggered by schizophrenia or other mental disorders. In the latter case, it is very difficult to get rid of the disease.
3. During treatment, multifactorial therapy is used - sessions with a psychotherapist, medication, and changes in diet.

Any information about anorexia that appears in the media and the Internet concerns mainly the fairer sex. Teenage girls striving for the world of fashion and exhausting themselves with hunger strikes, as well as young girls who have complexes about any extra kilogram and bring themselves to the point of exhaustion with training - these are the ones who become the main characters of programs, films, books, and life stories about this syndrome.

The question arises, does anorexia occur in men, or is it a purely female disease? And if such cases happen, why is it so rarely written about?

Peculiarities

In fact, male anorexia is also diagnosed. Such cases are not advertised for several reasons:

• this is very rare: men make up only 5% of such patients, according to official statistics;
• they rarely go to doctors because they do not recognize themselves as sick;
• Most often, this syndrome develops in them against the background of other disorders - mental, congenital, etc.

Men are less susceptible to anorexia than women because they differ from them from a psychological point of view, but this eating disorder is caused primarily by mental problems. If representatives of the stronger sex find themselves overweight, they either go to the gym or continue to drink beer in front of the TV. That is, they either solve this problem or forget about it. But in any case, they will not stress themselves out and exhaust themselves with hunger strikes, as girls do. Yes, they can sit for hours in the so-called rocking chair, but their main goal will not be losing weight, but building muscle mass.

Those men who are admitted to the hospital with anorexia are very specific patients. In most cases, they suffer from serious mental disorders, against the background of which they develop lack of appetite syndrome. And most often these are schizophrenia, neuroses, psychopathy, etc. These patients simply do not realize what they are doing: they do not feel hungry, artificially induce vomiting, and forget about food. Naturally, they will not write autobiographical stories about how they got rid of this terrible disease, and they will not go on television with this problem.

This is why there is so little information about anorectic men. But this does not mean at all that they do not exist. Ordinary cases are also diagnosed - due to low self-esteem or poor eating habits, and not schizophrenia. Most often, the syndrome manifests itself in teenage boys 14-17 years old, who have had the problem of excess weight since childhood. In the fight against kilograms, many of them simply cannot stop in time.

Reasons

Taking into account the fact that men have a completely different psychological makeup, the causes of anorexia will be somewhat different, although at certain points they overlap. Most often this is:

• obesity in childhood, which entails problems with peers;
• digestive problems, poor appetite, unhealthy eating habits (lack of diet, predominance of unhealthy foods in the diet);
• improper upbringing - parental overprotection, which results in so-called mama's boys - they are not accustomed to independent life, cannot solve problems, are infantile and exalted in a feminine way;
• character traits such as emotional coldness, unsociability, isolation;
• low self-esteem, internal complexes;
• mental illness;
• professional activities (actors who urgently need to lose weight for some role and who then cannot stop; male models, for whom there are also special parameters for a beautiful figure; musicians and singers who, due to touring, are forced to eat irregularly and of poor quality, etc. .d.);
• heredity.

In addition, men are increasingly diagnosed with anorexia, dictated by factors such as sports drying of the body. Both phenomena seem to be beneficial for health, but in inept hands they become a trigger for the development of this disease.

Much less often than in women, the cause is stressful situations, emotional experiences, and problems in life. Although in some cases they are also noted.

Signs

In men, anorexia manifests itself in a special way. If in women the disease affects primarily the sexual sphere (menstruation is interrupted and then completely disappears, there is no libido, no interest in sex), then the stronger sex does not experience any special problems in this regard (at least if we are not talking about advanced stage). Otherwise the symptoms are very similar:

• apathy;
• abdominal pain, stool disorders and other digestive problems;
• fatigue;
• dizziness, headaches;
• hungry fainting;
• depression;
• sleep disorders;
• unhealthy, gray complexion;
• refusal to eat, lack of appetite;
• mood swings;
• weight loss, unhealthy thinness, lack of muscle mass;
• irritability;
• gag reflex when eating large amounts of food;
• deterioration of hair, teeth and nails.

Outwardly, a man suffering from anorexia looks exhausted, constantly tired, he has a dull look, bruises under the eyes, and sunken cheeks. Based on the results of a medical examination and tests, problems with internal organs are identified:

• anemia;
• gastritis;
• hormonal disorders;
• leukopenia and leukocytosis;
• liver and kidney pathologies;
• gallbladder problems;
• malfunction of the pancreas;
• thrombocytosis;
• enterocolitis.

All these signs point to anorexia. But only a few men admit to themselves and others (at least to doctors) that they suffer from this disease. Most often, they are deeply convinced that they lead a healthy lifestyle: they eat little, play sports, and protect themselves from stress and anxiety. As a result, they end up in a hospital bed in a very neglected state, and then by force (under pressure from relatives, friends, neighbors).

Treatment

As practice shows, it is much more difficult to treat an anorectic man than a woman, for two reasons already stated earlier. Firstly, they do not admit that they are sick and refuse therapy until the last minute. Secondly, in the presence of mental illness, it is almost impossible to influence the patient’s eating behavior.

Otherwise, treatment is carried out according to the same regimens as for women, and can last for years in a neglected state. Key methods are the elimination of painful symptoms, correction of social and eating behavior, psychotherapy (main direction) and prescription of medications (additional). Mandatory components are rehabilitation and measures to restore body weight.

Psychotherapy

1. Behavioral psychotherapy:

• correction of distorted consciousness: a man must stop perceiving himself as fat and learn to determine his own value regardless of appearance;
• increasing self-esteem, giving up thoughts about one’s own inferiority;
• the cognitive restructuring method allows you to eliminate negative, obsessive thoughts;
• learning to manage one's own behavior;
• solving problems taking into account the visualization of the final result (if the patient sees what outcome this behavior leads to, he will refuse it);
• monitoring: the patient independently writes down everything related to his diet every day - the type of foods consumed, portion sizes, number of meals, their exact time.

2. Family psychotherapy:

• carried out when treating boys under 18 years of age;
• identifies problems in the family that caused the development of anorexia;
• corrects the relationships between the teenager, his brothers and sisters, parents, and often his stepfather.

Anorexia can also be a good psychological factor in the fight against the disease.

Nutritional rehabilitation

• Emotional care and support;
• creating reinforcing incentives for healthy eating and speedy recovery;
• physical exercises aimed primarily at building muscle mass;
• bed rest for advanced forms.

Medical nutrition

• Gradual increase in nutrition in terms of calories and portion size;
• mandatory inclusion in the diet;
• formation of new (healthy) eating habits;
• prevention of overeating and obesity.

Very often men have to literally re-teach how to eat.

Drug treatment

• Neuroleptics;
• vitamin complexes and individual vitamins: B9, B12, C, iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, potassium;
• drugs to increase appetite: Elenium, Frenolone;
• medications to normalize water-salt, electrolyte, carbon, fat, protein metabolism: Polyamine, Berpamin;
• antidepressants: Eglonil, Fevarin, Ludiomil, Fevarin, Paxil, Zoloft, Cipralex, Coaxin.

In addition, medications are prescribed to treat concomitant diseases.

Forecasts

Despite the complexity and danger of anorexia, with timely and competent treatment, favorable prognoses can still be achieved. However, even with 100% recovery, such a severe disruption in the body’s functioning cannot pass without leaving a mark on men’s health. As a rule, they leave the clinic with a whole bunch of diseases that have received the status of chronic. This is especially true for those who have brought themselves to the final stages of the disorder.

Here's how it could end:

• complete recovery;
• dystrophy;
• slow metabolism;
• impotence, inability to conceive a child;
• uncontrolled weight gain after treatment;
• baldness;
• obsessive-compulsive disorder;
• osteoporosis;
• disruption of the gastrointestinal tract: stomach pain, chronic constipation, dyspepsia, gastritis, ulcers;
• from the cardiovascular system: arrhythmia;
• reduction in brain mass;
• lethal outcome.

Anorexia is a disease that can cripple any person; it does not depend on gender or social class. Yes, cases where men suffer and die from exhaustion are practically not advertised due to their rarity and certain features of the course of the disease. But we must not forget that this is primarily a mental disorder, and the psychology of representatives of the stronger and weaker sex is significantly different.

And this is only the data registered by medicine. The initial figure is much higher, since not every man faced with this delicate problem turns to a specialist.

The diagnosis of anorexia in representatives of the stronger sex is a rare occurrence. It is mainly susceptible to people with genetically developed attitudes towards mental disorders.

Those in the risk zone, which may include their parents, have the following mental disorders:

• addiction to alcohol;
• paranoid syndrome;
• obsessive fears;
• depression;
• excessive exposure of the body to stress.

It is quite difficult to identify signs of the disease in men at the initial stage. Only a highly qualified specialist can determine the symptoms after talking with the patient and thoroughly diagnosing his condition.

This type of disease begins to form during puberty, when fasting is the most accessible method of body modeling for adolescents. By the age of thirty, these attempts in half of young people lead to mental problems associated with eating

Male anorexia differs from a woman’s ability to obtain pleasure by inducing vomiting after eating. This is due to the persistent pathological belief that through bulimia the patient helps his body cleanse itself of excess undigested masses.

Such “pleasure” is not available to women. This confirms the opinion of experts that in men this disease has an acutely expressed schizoid form.

The first and most important stage is dysmorphomania. A person is convinced of his imaginary physiological unattractiveness, the fundamental factor of which is the false belief of being overweight, which naturally leads to the next stage in the development of the disease - a decrease in appetite or a complete refusal to eat.

At the same time, men cannot critically and adequately assess their condition, being in full confidence that their body is not at risk of exhaustion. Dissatisfaction with one’s body weight develops into a phobia, where the third stage begins to form - the absence of an emotional need for food when it is physiologically necessary.

Ways to lose weight

By limiting themselves in eating, patients classify their actions as correct and find irrational explanations for them. Anorexics may justify themselves by saying that food interferes with the realization of their life goals, personal life and communication with other individuals.

What is not taken into account is the fact that the patient’s need for interaction with other people decreases and there is a deep concentration on his personality. Closedness, a tendency to solitude, apathy and rejection of the outside world, lack of active activity and an anxious manic state that does not have a clear background - these are all symptoms of anorexia nervosa.

It poses a threat to both the psychological and physiological state of a man. Patients may experience thinning and loss of hair, peeling nails, and peeling skin.

Characteristic signs of the disease are also low body temperature and low blood pressure. All this can lead to problems in the field of urology and infertility in the future.

When setting the goal of losing weight, many men resort to laxatives and use daily enemas. This is fraught with dysfunction of the stomach, constipation, inflammation in the small and large intestines (entercolitis). Which subsequently leads to gastritis and, if you do not consult a specialist in time, an ulcer.

The actions of people with anorexia go far beyond the boundaries of reasonable human activity. Some patients, after eating, do not limit themselves to inducing vomiting with their fingers. For this purpose, they can resort to methods of emptying the stomach such as gastric lavage and drinking several liters of water.

Cases were recorded when containers with chewed food were found in patients' rooms. Many men combine such methods with smoking, taking medications of medicinal origin to reduce appetite, psychotropic substances and diuretic teas.

Causes

Anorexia in men is not always an independent disease. Its manifestation can be provoked by nervousness, disturbances in mental activity, etc. The latent period of the disease can reach several years.

Circumstances contributing to the development of the disease include:

• tendency to be overweight in childhood;
• hereditary predisposition to mental illnesses;
• playing sports;
• the specifics of the profession (for example, acting or working in a fashion-related field);
• developing a worldview when surrounded by people who focus on diet or physical appearance;
• cultural environment;
• vulnerability to panic attacks;
• prolonged depression.

The appearance qualities of future patients are quite far from ideal. Insignificant height, slender body, lack of strong muscle mass. This is all largely a catalyst for the development of symptoms.

The atmosphere in the family also plays an important role. Men who are susceptible to mental disorders are emotionally unstable, and from a young age cannot take responsibility for their actions, shifting the blame to external factors. Lack of self-confidence, complexes, inability to solve problems and adapt to the world around us are the fundamental causes of the disease.

Risk factors

Males are less likely to seek the help of specialists, so there are risk factors that, if you pay attention to, can help you avoid a medical diagnosis. The following factors are distinguished:

• one of your relatives is overweight;
• innate or environmentally shaped perfectionism;
• work in the fashion and beauty industry;
• a state of excessive emotional stress associated with the fear of not meeting the expectations of parents;
• psychological or sexual violence.

Symptoms of the disease

Signs of anorexia- This is not only insufficient body weight. The following symptoms will help prevent the initial stage of the disease:

• complaints about one’s own physique;
• the desire to idealize or see shortcomings;
• low blood pressure;
• intensive training and sports activities;
• refusal to eat with other individuals;
• hair reduction;
• diets;
• fatigue and frequent dizziness;
• voluntary self-isolation;
• obsession with one's own weight;
• stomach ache;
• lack of interest in the opposite sex;
• decreased libido.

The sickly appearance of men is one of the fundamental factors in the progression of the disease. They appear apathetic and lethargic, uninterested in what is happening around them. Possible manifestations of aggression and outbursts of irritability

The color of the skin changes to paler. Due to low hemoglobin in the blood, episodes of fainting are observed. The period of rapid loss of body weight and the body’s rejection of any food is an advanced stage, in which, in order to avoid death, surgical medical intervention is necessary.

By this time, the functions of all the patient’s internal organs are destroyed, dehydration begins, and teeth may fall out and crumble.

Anorexia triggers destructive processes in the genital area, which can subsequently lead to genital dysfunction and infertility.

A man suffering from anorexia experiences an unreasonable sense of fear before meals. Pain and heaviness in the stomach can trigger the development of bulimia. At later stages, the removal of vomit from the body can occur reflexively, without the participation of the patient.

Diagnosis of the disease

The diagnosis is based on a thorough examination of the patient by a competent specialist in this field.

The psychiatrist, after a conversation with the patient, pays attention to the following symptoms:

• loss of body weight from the initial one of at least 25%;
• lack of appetite due to a distorted perception of food consumption;
• bulimia;
• the patient has an obsession with losing even more weight;
• refusal to adequately assess circumstances and one’s condition;
• conducting biochemical analyses;
• the appearance of thin hair on the outer integument of the body.

If the doctor determines that the patient has a disease, then after diagnosis and identification of symptoms, the next stage begins - treatment.

How to treat the disease?

Statistics show that men rarely seek help. Their relatives do this for them, concerned about the appearance of the patient. The symptoms of anorexia relate to mental or psychological factors, so a specialist should be chosen in the field of neurology or psychiatry.

Anorexia completely changes a person’s personality, and the patient will no longer be able to become the same as before. Schizophrenia becomes a constant companion for men.

Treatment involves the following steps:

• weight normalization;
• intervention in the psyche in order to introduce the right values;
• solving problems that brought the patient into the risk zone;
• general correction of the psychological state.

Treatment methods

1. In most cases, anorexia must be treated with medications and psychotropic drugs. In the fight to regain stable weight and restore a healthy psychological state, antidepressants and tranquilizers will be the right remedies. To ensure that the body depleted by fasting receives the necessary nutrients and minerals, vitamin therapy can be used.
2. Cognitive behavioral therapy is considered to be the most effective treatment method. It helps to replace the patient's negative and false thoughts with the exact opposite beliefs. This method is aimed at a person’s acceptance of existing problems and the search for their solutions.
3. Along with individual sessions, there is family therapy. The influence and support of relatives and immediate circles will become an indispensable psychological aid in restoring physical health.
4. Psychologists often use hypnosis as part of comprehensive symptom treatment. Such an impact on the patient’s psyche can help him gain self-confidence and overcome his fears and complexes.
5. Special cases require immediate hospitalization of the patient. Parenteral nutrition becomes the only way to maintain life in the human body.

It should be remembered that the outcome of treatment depends entirely on the promptness of seeking help. At the initial stage, it is still possible to cope with the disease and rehabilitate lost health, help the patient adapt to the environment and normalize food intake.

In the later stages, restoring the body’s internal reserves and eliminating symptoms in some cases is beyond the power of even highly qualified doctors.

Be healthy! Take care of yourself and your loved ones!