Half of men with eating disorders don’t get any help: 8 warning signs somebody needs support

Over half of men with an eating disorder have never had any treatment, according to new research.

Despite typically being linked with females, males account for a quarter of all eating disorder cases – and many are not getting any support, the eating disorder charity Beat is highlighting

“Eating disorders affect 1.25 million people in the UK, and we estimate one in four of those are men,” says Tom Quinn, Beat’s director of external affairs – speaking to mark this year’s Eating Disorders Awareness Week (February 27 – March 5).

“We surveyed men across the UK about their experiences of an eating disorder and, alarmingly, we discovered over half have never had treatment for their eating disorder, and one in three have never tried to get treatment in the first place.

“There’s a harmful misconception that eating disorders are female illnesses, which creates a great deal of shame and can entrench harmful behaviours for men who are unwell,” Quinn adds.

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Source: The Independent, 27 February 2023

Further reading on the hub: Top picks: Eight resources on eating disorders