As a teenager, Jamie Pye was bullied at school and developed an eating disorder (ED). When he sought help, he felt that his masculinity made it difficult to access treatment.
His doctors helped and admitted that something was wrong, but he struggled before being diagnosed with anorexia. “It was difficult because the referral criteria were female-centric, like no periods, which obviously didn’t apply to me,” he said.
In the therapy group he attended in his early twenties, he was the only male there. “I felt out of place there, in an all-female space,” he said. I.
However, according to the eating disorder charity Beat, one in four people in the UK with erectile dysfunction is a man, about 300,000 men. A new study by the charity found that more than half of men with erectile dysfunction have never received treatment, and a third have never sought it.
Jamie is now 30 years old and has come a long way in his recovery through talking and therapy. “Despite the difficulties, it is important to find someone to talk to and it is better to get help sooner rather than later,” he said.
“It’s great to let all your feelings out”
Jamie from Norwich said he has always been a “finicky eater” and the situation escalated when he became the target of bullies. “For me, it was control. I couldn’t control the bullying and I couldn’t control my food.
“I just wanted to take a backseat. I didn’t want to be seen by the bullies anymore to stop it. I didn’t say I sold my lunch or threw it away and came home with an empty lunch box.
“When I returned home, this was my refuge. When I was younger it wasn’t such a big deal for me, but these days bullies always have access to their victims on social media.
He said it is easier to get help as a child than as an adult. “When I was younger, I was very supportive, but as I was growing up, it seemed to me that now you are on your own.”
blow said I NHS guidelines now prevent gender bias if followed perfectly, “but unfortunately we also know this doesn’t always happen.”
Jamie said his parents sat him down and told him that if he didn’t volunteer for help, he would have to go to the hospital. “I really didn’t want to go to the hospital. I wanted to be at home. It gave me the push I needed to get better.”
Jamie received referrals from a local charity, which he says played a key role in his recovery. “It’s great to throw all your feelings out. My family was very supportive, but there were things that I felt uncomfortable sharing. And with a stranger, you don’t have to worry about telling him what upsets him.
He says there is still stigmatization of men seeking help for what is primarily considered a female disease. “There are an increasing number of men with eating disorders, and not only with anorexia – there are men who go to the gym excessively – problems that are not necessarily seen as a problem. Men are also influenced by the perfect body that is portrayed on social media.”
Comedian Russell Kane wrote an article for I last year about his struggles with orthorexia — an obsessive obsession with eating the “right” food — and says the idea that a man has to be muscular to be accepted by girls stigmatized him as a teenager.
Jamie says it’s still hard for men to talk openly about these issues. “My father and grandfather’s generation didn’t talk about their feelings because they weren’t considered ‘macho’,” he said. “Fortunately, young people are more open, but these days there is still so much emphasis on not showing emotions, especially negative ones.”
He considers it essential to raise awareness for men with erectile dysfunction. He was shocked when, at a media event hosted by the Beat, a TV producer turned down his offer to talk to them because he was a man. “They said they felt viewers would identify more with a woman. That was 10 years ago, fortunately things are changing.”
He wants patients to know that recovery is possible. “I still occasionally have problems with food, but not as much as I used to, and I understand when I feel down and take action.
“Many people think that their problems will not disappear, and the eating disorder will remain forever. I felt better when I realized that everything passes. I want people to know that you can be better.”
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Over 450 men aged 10 to 77 took part in the Beats Eating Disorders Awareness Week February 27-March 5 survey and is the UK’s largest survey of men’s experiences with eating disorders.
Of every third man who said they had never tried to treat erectile dysfunction, almost half did not know that such treatment existed. Respondents said that fear of how others might react and not recognizing that they needed treatment were the main reasons for not getting help.
One in five respondents had never spoken to anyone about their ED.
Some said they felt they “should” heal their eating disorder on their own, or that they found it difficult to get help from others.
In addition, seven out of 10 men with ED had never heard or read about other affected men before they became ill. Others said stories about men with eating disorders “seem to be the exception to the rule.”
Several survey participants indicated that the lack of awareness meant that they later realized they were uncomfortable. One man said, “It was only recently that I heard about men with eating disorders. Since then, I believe that I completely denied the existence of one of them.
“It is important that men do not suffer in silence”
Kirsty Pave, who leads the Scottish Beat team, said the misconception that eating disorders only affect women is “widespread”: “We are alarmed that this detrimental stigma could prevent men from recognizing their symptoms, delaying access to treatment and exacerbate the feeling of aggravation. “. shame and isolation.
“It is deeply unfair that men are not getting the support they need due to a lack of public understanding of eating disorders. Raising awareness about the symptoms of an eating disorder is critical to ensuring that people can recognize early warning signs in themselves or others, and that everyone knows what treatment is available.
“It is very important that men do not suffer in silence. We want to reassure everyone affected by this serious mental illness that recovery is possible and that support is available.”
Eating disorders doctor, psychiatrist and Beat trustee Stephen Anderson stressed that early treatment is vital. He said: “Eating disorders can affect anyone. The perception that only women suffer from these diseases can delay men from seeking help and treatment and lead to delays in recognition and referral. The longer support and treatment is delayed, the greater the risk of developing more severe disease with an associated increase in physical and psychological consequences.
“People with eating disorders often experience significant shame, guilt, and stigma associated with their illness, and this can be even worse for men who see themselves as suffering from a “women’s disease.” We must continue to work to raise awareness of eating disorders among boys and men in order to improve access to treatment.”
If you are concerned about your health or the health of anyone else, you can contact Beat, the UK Eating Disorders Charity, on 0808 801 0677 or visit the website here.
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Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.