June 5, 2007
Irish Daily Mail Date: Tuesday, June 5, 2007 Page: 26
Author: By Alan Sherry
Headline: One in five anorexia sufferers is a man
ONE in every five seeking help for anorexia is a man, an alarming study has revealed. Figures emerged also indicating a sharp increase in the number of males suffering from bulimia with one in every eight affected by the eating disorder. Twenty years ago, men only accounted for one in 13 of anorexia or bulimia sufferers.
'The age of sufferers is increasingly young,' said Dr John Griffin, a consultant psychiatrist at St Patrick's Hospital, Dublin. 'I fear that we will become like America where $40billion <€29.7bn) is spent every year in the diet market.'
Suzanne Morgan, founder of the Eating Disorders Resource Centre Ireland, said there is little support for people who suffer from these diseases: 'The HSE plays very little part in training staff in this area. Facilities are so poor those with eating disorders are falling to gutter level before they get help,' Miss Morgan said. It is estimated that more than 200,000 people suffer from a form of eating disorder in Ireland.
For support or questions about eating disorders contact Bodywhys Association at 1890 200 444 or eatingdisorders.ie.
