Why Do We Ignore Eating Disorders in Boys

Eating Disorders in Boys

Did you think eating disorders could only happen in girls due to strict dieting and other behaviors? However, this is not the truth. Some experts have explained that there are up to 30 percent of sufferers who are boys. The number of boys suffering from eating disorders has increased greatly over the last few decades. This is a warning sign that should not be ignored by parents who have male children. Boys cannot suffer from eating disorders is a major thought that makes parents ignore this fact.

There are many people who think that boys cannot have troubles with their bodies or eating habits. However, boys can equally suffer from anorexia and similar symptoms that indicate eating disorders. Most of the males have been found to seek treatments for such disorders on their own, while their parents usually do not bother about their irregular food habits. They might assume that their boys would remain healthy even if they were ignoring nutritious food at times.

Many a times, parents ignore eating disorders in boys because they do not see any obvious symptoms. Girls might display some immediate symptoms of eating disorders due to their physiological makeup, while the same may not happen to boys. Thus, parents remain ignorant about the condition of their male children even though they may be suffering from anorexia or bulimia. Apart from these factors, parents also remain ignorant because they are unaware of symptoms in boys.

There are many people who do not know about the results of an eating disorder and ways to identify it. They are unsure of those personality changes that might happen in boys due to any such disorder. Thus, there is no action taken when a person does not seem to have the knowledge of a particular condition. Therefore, parents need to gain more knowledge on eating disorders and on the ways to support their boys in overcoming them.