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Anorexia and Sexual Orientation - Page 2

© Mark Stuart Ellison

Current research indicates that approximately 90 percent of anorexics are female and ten percent are male ¹¹, but there is evidence that diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa are gender-biased. For example, one standard requirement for making a diagnosis of anorexia in women is three months of amenorrhea (absence of a menstrual period), but there is no equivalent criterion for men¹². Research indicates that amenorrhea is not an important factor in determining the severity, or even existence, of anorexia in women¹³.

While current diagnostic tools favor making a diagnosis of anorexia in females, research suggests that the incidence of eating disorders is increasing in both genders¹⁴. The reason for the reported rise is probably due to both a genuine increase and better detection methods¹⁵.

ENDNOTES

1. Blinder, B.J., "Anorexia Nervosa In Males", 4 Oct. 2000 http://www.ltspeed.com/bjblinder/4.htm , citing Herzog DB, Norman DK, Gordon C et al. Sexual Conflict and Eating Disorders in 27 Males. American Journal of Psychiatry 1984; 141:989-990.
2. Ibid.
3. Andersen, AE. Gender-related aspects of eating disorders: a guide to practice. The Journal of Gender-Specific Medicine 1999; 2(1):47-54, http://www.mmhc.com/jgsm/articles/JGSM99... .
4. Andersen, supra, citing Herzog D, Bradburn I, Newman K. Sexuality in males with eating disorders. In: Anderson AE. Practical Comprehensive Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia. New York, NY: Bruner/Mazel; 1990:40-53.
5. Charnow, Jody A., "Male Bulimia Sufferers Often Gay, Bisexual, a New Study Finds", Medscape, 4 Oct. 2000, http://www.medscape.com/jobson/MedTrib/f... , citing American Journal of Psychiatry 1997; 154:1127-1132.
6. Ibid.
7. Ibid.
8. Andersen AE. Gender-related aspects of eating disorders, supra, citing Siever MD. Sexual orientation and gender as factors in socioculturally acquired vulnerability to body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 1994; 62(2):252- 260.
9. Ibid.
10. Ibid.
11. Andersen, AE. Gender-related aspects of eating disorders, supra, citing Wilson GT, Nonas CA, Rosenblum GD. Assessment of binge eating in obese patients. International Journal of Eating Disorders 1993; 13(1):25-33.
12. Andersen, AE. Gender-related aspects of eating disorders, supra.
13. Andersen, AE. Gender-related aspects of eating disorders, supra, citing Garfinkel PE, Lin E, Goering P, et al. Should amenorrhea be necessary for the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa? Evidence from a Canadian Community Sample. British Journal of Psychiatry 1996; 168:500-506.
14. Andersen, AE. Gender-related aspects of eating disorders, supra.
15. Andersen, AE. Gender-related aspects of eating disorders, supra, citing Eagles JM, Johnston MI, Hunter D, et al. Increasing incidence of anorexia nervosa in the female population of northeast Scotland. American Journal of Psychiatry 1995; 152: 1266-1271.

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