By Kate Fisch, LCSW

Because we stereotype individuals suffering with an eating disorder as teenage girls, adolescent boys with eating disorders often go overlooked.  This is further exacerbated by the fact that eating disorder commonly manifest differently in boys than they do in girls.  Typically, eating disordered girls describe an obsession with being thin and an irrational fear of gaining weight.  Indeed, eating disordered boys can also have similar focus but often their eating disordered goals are to increase muscle and achieve a more “chiseled” physique. This is sometimes referred to as “reverse anorexia” or “bigorexia.”  A physical “façade” reinforced by our sociocultural messages of masculinity.

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