Why Does Anorexia Affect More Women Than Men?

Eating disorders tend to go beyond the boundaries of needing to be skinny with restricted-eating habits; most seem to be attached to the sufferer psychologically. That is to say — the psychological factor is often the instigator behind a sufferer believing they are fat, overly fat, or even verging on the side of being obese.

Psychological factors often provoke an anorexia sufferer to act irrationally by restricting their eating habits; thus, causing an insufficient intake of calories, minerals, and nutrients, etc., that the body so needs to stay healthy. Even starving by an anorexia sufferer is not such an uncommon practice, together with purging (eating, followed by forced/self-inflicted vomiting after-wards). Other symptoms may include obsessive exercise, and the use of laxatives to help themselves lose weight.

So why does anorexia affect more women than men?

The "media" has much to do with most eating disorders such as anorexia and a selective eating disorder. The reason is that every time one goes on social media, or flips through a magazine, the one thing that becomes apparent is — "the perfect look," where skinny women are "glamorized." Obese women are "looked down upon." This is a factor that can propel a woman [or a teenager] into thinking she may be looked down upon if she does not exhibit the same perfect profile that the public asks for.

Some women are naturally thin/skinny, so no real work is needed in dieting and exercise. However, for most, that is not the case — not even with dieting and exercise would most women end up with a finely sculpted body as those that can be seen on the t.v., and in the many magazines that can be found at the local paper store. Because of this, for a small percentage of women, the only option to obtain the perfect body is to eat less. However, a psychological factor seems to set-in on this journey where the perception of what is perfect/slim/skinny gets distorted (at this point, even less food is eaten to become even skinnier — or more perfect as it is seen).

Also, subconsciously, an anorexia sufferer might even feel like they have accomplished something great by being able to control their eating, or at least that is what they think they are doing. More often than not, the same person will be so preoccupied with their eating habits (weight-loss), they may even forget about other important things in life, or may simply avoid doing them altogether. It is believed that anorexia sufferers feel a great sense of achievement because they are able to exercise an extreme degree of willpower over what they eat (or more so what they do not eat) and their weight (other reasons for anorexia eating disorders may be hereditary).

The simple fact is that the media tends to bring out the inbuilt weakness of a small percentage of women for the need to be perfect (beautiful), which is nothing more than a psychological aspect that is less important to men.

Keep in mind that anorexia is a complex mental health disorder, influenced by psychological, biological, and social factors. It can lead to physical illness with acute and chronic symptoms that are life-threatening. For this reason, it is very important to consult an eating disorder specialist in London and get treatment as early as possible.

Sponsor Ads

• Ad Space Available - Rent it Now!

Report this Page

Created on Jul 31st 2020 01:51. Viewed 269 times.

Share on APSense

Comments