Number of men getting support for eating disorders doubles in a year
Stats from Beat show a 113% increase in men accessing services during the first year of the pandemic
The number of men accessing support for eating disorders more than doubled in the first year of the coronavirus pandemic.
Stats seen by our Mental Health Monday Podcast show nearly 10,000 males were supported from April 2020 to March 2021 by Beat, the UK's Eating Disorder Charity.
The previous year, the number was less than 5000.
Despite this, experts fear stigma, and a lack of understanding around eating disorders in men and boys means the issue continues to be under-reported.
How common are eating disorders in men?
It's thought there are around 1.25m people in the UK who have an eating disorder.
Around 25% of them are known to be men, but the number could be significantly higher as knowledge around eating disorders is often limited to a small number of illnesses, which are typically represented in the media as only affecting women.
"I didn't know men could get eating disorders"
Thomas was diagnosed with anorexia at the age of 21.
Now in recovery at the age of 26, he's told us more needs to be done to improve awareness. "The hardest thing about trying to receive treatment was accepting the fact I had an eating disorder.
"It took me a lot longer to ask for treatment than it could have because I just didn't recognise the signs and symptoms mainly because I didn't know men could get eating disorders.
"In the media, and in education, eating disorders are always talked about as a female illness. That stereotype was so present in my mind I wasn't able to recognise the signs and symptoms and get help in the first place"
Better training for GPs and professionals, and great understanding around how an eating disorder can present in men are just some of the solutions offered up by Thomas.
Listen to his story in full on this week's Mental Health Monday Podcast
Support and resources are available online
If you, or someone you know is affected by an eating disorder, or you're concerned about someone's behaviour, Beat have a range of services available.
Deputy Director of Services at Beat Ed Emond told the Mental Health Monday Podcast: "People don't fully understand what it's like to have an eating disorder. We are seeing progress in that, particularly with the conversations in the last five years.
"But particularly when it comes to men people don't see it as something a man can struggle with.
"It's often dismissed as something else, or how it presents might be slightly different so it often gets missed, so we think that one-in-four figure is probably an under-representation of what's out there, and what's going on at the moment."
Knowing the signs of eating disorders
Symptoms of eating disorders can differ from person to person. Advice on the Beat website offers this more general advice around spotting the signs you, or someone you know, might be experiencing a problem
"If you think you might be having problems with your eating or feel that difficult feelings or situations are making you change your eating habits or feel differently about food, you could have an eating disorder or be developing one."
There are a range of resources from beat, and more detailed symptoms to spot available online, including a helpline to call if you want to speak to someone and discuss the situation you're facing.
You're not on your own.
New Beat service for Carers
Beat has recently launched a new service for carers called POD (peer-support and online development).
It's a free online space for carers, parents and families to learn how to support themselves and their loved one with an eating disorder,.
Caring for a loved one with an eating disorder can be very isolating, and Beat hope POD can bring people together to share useful advice, experiences and worries, with the support of eating disorder specialists.
Find out more on the Beat POD service