Boys and Anorexia

Posted by Lori Henry Nov 7, 2006

The relapse rate for girls after treatment for anorexia is 8.2, according to statistics by Dr. Michael Strober of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. But for boys, they found that they didn’t revert back to preoccupation with their weight and appearance like the girls did.

His most recent study took 99 anorexia patients from the ages of 13-17, 14 of whom were boys. Although they had similar symptoms when they arrived, like anxiety disorders, rigidity and perfectionism, the boys showed a bit less concern with their weight.

The researchers concluded that boys don’t usually suffer from as severe cases of anorexia as their female counterparts, which could be attributed to brain differences as well as societal and cultural forces.

Either way, an eating disorder is never an easy thing to go through.