Anorexia Not Essay Research Paper Anorexia Not — страница 2

place on appearance when it comes to succeeding in life. So it is very common for gay men to be anorexic. This is why a straight man does not like to admit that he has the disease, for fear of being labeled gay. Another reason a man may not want to admit that he is anorexic is because of the shame. The man may feel very ashamed at what he does. He may think things like I m discusting, and look at what I do to myself. He might worry that people will think he s crazy if they find out. He may also fear the ridicule he might face from his fellow buddies. Being a teased and called girlie. Or being acccused of not being very manly. There are many reasons that men do not come forward with their disease. There are many harmful affects of anorexia in men. When a man is anorexic, he looses

an average of fifteen to sixty percent of his normal body weight, which obviously isn t very healthy(WebMD Health par.3). When men have anorexia, they are actually hit a lot harder with affects than women are. There s more severe problems that strike anorexic men, like dangerously low bone mineral density(WebMD Health, par.6). When a man is anorexic, not only is he not eating properly, but he is also not drinking enough either. He doesn t drink enough, if any, milk. It is normally very important to drink milk, but when someone is anorexic, it is extremely crueshal. When an anorexic man does not get enough calcium, he can develop a low bone marrow density. When someone has a low bone marrow density, they have a higher risk of a fracture or developing osteoporosis(WebMd Health,

par. 6). It has been proven in research that all affects of anorexia, are more severe when men have the disease(WebMD Health, par. 14). Once a man has realized that he does indeed have anorexia, and is ready and willing to get help, he is then on his long way to recovery. There are many steps in this process, the first is nutritional education. A professionally trained dietitian will first asses the man s past eating habits and history. The dietitian will discuss with the patient what he used to eat in a day, what kind of foods he ate, and if he had problems with binging. Going on what is learned, the dietitian will set up an eating regimen that is most beneficial to the anorexic. And during all this the patient is educated about proper eating behavior. He learns good eating

habits, and safe ways to control his weight. The dietitian knows that the patient is still going to think he is overweight no matter what, so they try to work with him on that. If he really wants to watch his weight(after he has gained weight back to a healthy level of course), then the dietitian will teach him how to safely control his weight gain. The patient is taught how to eat healthy foods in normal amounts. Also, how to exercise properly. The patient learns how to diet safely. The next step to recovery is counseling. What type of counseling depends on how bad of a case the patient has. If it isn t that severe, and the patient isn t in immediate physical danger, then he can be treated at home, and continue to lead a normal life. But if their case is so bad that he is in

danger of loosing his life, then he will have to be admitted to an institution. There are many good treatment facilities across the country for anorexics, but many will not admit men. Most focus on women. If they do let a man in, he is usually the only one and often feels out of place and left out. The man feels he really has no one to relate to, and that no one understands what he is feeling. But more and more we are starting to see some just for men treatment facilities popping up across the country. They are rare, and hard to find, but if a man can get into one of these, he will be a lot better off than if he is put into a woman s facility. In an all male institution, the men can better relate to each other and understand what one another is going through. Men with anorexia

have different problems and issues to deal with, than women with the disease. So once into one of these centers, the patient will receive some much needed counseling. The best psychologists and psychiatrists will work with them. Group sessions are also a big part of recovery. Psychiatrists believe it really helps to be in a group talking to people who are going through the same things, and feeling the same way. Lastly, there is a lot of follow up things involved after the patient has obtained a normal weight. Once the patient is released, it is still very important that he maintains a healthy weight. If left alone, the majority of patients will go right back to their old habits, so it is important to have follow up treatment. The patient must continue to go back for counseling