I was pleased to hear on the BBC yesterday that the Royal College of General Practitioners is tackling the growing numbers of young males with eating disorders.
In counselling practice over the past seven to ten years there has been a definite increase in the numbers of young men who struggle to form positive relationships with food.
Until now the NHS only counts admission into hospitals – however, in order to be disagnosed as underweight an individual has to have a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 19 or below. When you take into account that a ‘healthy’ BMI lies between 20 – 25 in adults; this is an extremely low figure. (A BMI of 13 is an indication of starvation).
In growing males (and females) the BMI usually continues to grow with age until the end of adolescence; which means that BMI is not always a clear indicator of an eating disorder.
You can find further information about the BBC’s report here or read further information on eating disorders on the Direct Counselling UK website under the Information Centre/Types of Distress drop down menus.