Eating Disorders Rise in Men

Ron Harris: I still look in the mirror and I always want to be a little bit bigger. Dean Edell: In the culture that glamorizes of being thin it's not surprising that eating disorders and cosmetic surgery are on the rise among women. But you may however find it shocking to know that men can fall into the same self-destructive track, leaving them dissatisfied and in danger, when they may face the man in the mirror. We call them buffed, chiseled stacked, this is the new male ideal. Stacy Tantleff-Dunn: We see an increase in advertising and so many more messages directed at men in how they can improve their appearance. Dean Edell: The average man sees at least 25 appearance related ads everyday. Stacy Tantleff-Dunn: Men, who are exposed to images of the so called ideal male, became more depressed and significantly more dissatisfied with their own muscles. We are finally recognizing that men are as vulnerable to some of these messages as women have been for so long. Male Speaker: That actually makes me kind of look like wow! If they can get that big, why can't I get I get that big? Dean Edell: Even young boys are targeted. This is a G.I. Joe from the 1980s, and here is Joe now. Look at Luke Skywalker from 20 years ago, and compare him to a later version. Male Speaker: I mean that's what I guess the girls like, muscular men. Dean Edell: But when asked, women had a different opinion. Harrison Pope: The men thought that women would prefer a male body with around 20 pounds more muscle. The actual women chose a perfectly normal looking male body. Ron Harris: There is a phrase I like to use when people ask me if I am obsessed, and that is obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated. Dean Edell: Whatever Ron Harris calls it, it all started when he was only 13. Ron Harris: I was always like the runt out of the group of kids, very un-athletic, picked on, just ow self-esteem. Dean Edell: Training and competition not only built Ron's self-esteem but consumed him. Missing a workout was never an option, even if it meant training at midnight, or when he was sick. Ron Harris: Bodybuilders look in the mirror and they are never ever satisfied with what they see, and some people would say that's a sickness -- Dean Edell: There is another name for it. Roberto Olivardia: Men who struggle with Muscle Dysmorphia tend to actually be quite muscular and in shape, but they think they look too small. It's almost a reverse of anorexia. Dean Edell: And it can be just as extreme. Roberto Olivardia: I have had men who have missed the birth of their children to go because they needed to get to the gym. Dean Edell: There are warning signs. First, a distorted body image, second workouts that interfere with social life, third, self-esteem that's based on looks, and fourth, unhealthy behaviors like over-training. Roberto Olivardia: Even one of those four can be a red flag. Dean Edell: The results can be muscle tears, bone splits, arthritis and steroid use. Treatments like behavior therapy and antidepressants can help. Ron Harris: As I have gotten old and matured and I have a family and my career has taken off, it's not as important to me anymore to be this big freak of nature. Mike: I wanted to be as skinny as I possibly could. Dean Edell: When 16-year-old Mike looks in the mirror, he doesn't see what we see. Mike: Your eyes see what mine can't see. Dean Edell: All he saw was an overweight teen starring back. Mike: I just didn't believe I was worth anything. Dean Edell: Mike is anorexic and bulimic to lose weight. He would eat just 500 calories every other day and jog 75 miles every weekend. He dropped from 180 pounds to 112. Roberto Olivardia: With women who struggle with an eating disorder, it doesn't violate their femininity. It doesn't violate their gender in any way, whereas for men, it does. Dean Edell: This makes treatment tricky. Olivia Beckman: Not only do they not want to come in when they get in, we are talking about squishy feelings if they didn't want to discuss. Dean Edell: For men, doctors focus more on thoughts rather than feelings. Olivia Beckman: I would recommend either see a man, or someone that's used to working with men. Mike: I still have my moments where believe that I am not worth anything. I still purge about once a week or so. That's better than six times a day. Dean Edell: Mike is getting help, but there are many men who are not. Olivia Beckman: It's a shame that they feel inhibited to getting treatment, because really it's not a female disease, it's a human disease. Stacy Tantleff-Dunn: Nobody can escape the effects of these ideal images that we are exposed to, that's become more of an equal opportunity problem. Dean Edell: According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, more than 1.2 million men underwent some kind of cosmetic procedure last year. Compare that to 1.4 million women, and you can see that when it comes to image alternations at least the gender gap is closing.