Manorexia: symptoms, causes and treatment

This disorder can be understood as a typically male version of anorexia.

Surely we have all heard of anorexia, and we all know what it is. But what about manorexia? Does this concept sound familiar to you? It is a neologism used to designate, roughly speaking, "men's anorexia".

Manorexia is a non-specified eating disorder (ED).. Here we will see what exactly it consists of and what its typical symptoms are, and in addition, we will talk about its causes and the most appropriate treatments.

Manorexia: what is it?

The manorexia is an eating disorder suffered by those men with panic to put on weight, which leads them to do sports in an exaggerated form and to follow hyper restrictive diets.

In a way, we can say that it is the same as anorexia suffered by men, although it is not exactly the same.

Men suffering from manorexia always look fat (even if they are not really fat), as well as unattractive and unattractive.. That is, their skewed perception of reality goes beyond body weight, and extrapolates to beauty or ugliness.

As for the prevalence of manorexia, according to data from the National Eating Disorders Association, this disorder could affect more than one million men and boys worldwide.

However, this disorder is increasingly on the rise in recent years, which can be explained by a number of factors such as social pressure to always be "beautiful, perfect and thin", the excessive use of social media, and the excessive use of social media. (and its influence on our body image and lifestyle), the unhealthy cult of the body (which also makes us forget to cultivate other facets of ourselves), etc.

Symptoms

The symptoms of manorexia may vary from one patient to another, although the most frequent ones are.

1. Loss of appetite

The main symptom of manorexia is a decrease in appetite, which leads men suffering from manorexia to eat less and therefore lose weight. and therefore to lose weight and body fat.

It may be that this decrease in hunger does not appear, but that even so, the individual reduces his food intake to worrying limits (or even practically stops eating).

2. Intense physical exercise

Another typical symptom of manorexia is intense (or excessive) physical exercise. As in anorexia, the patient begins to practice sports obsessively in order to lose weight (especially Cardiovascular exercise such as running).

Thus, a person with manorexia changes his or her usual way of functioning and follows routines to introduce sport into his or her life in an exaggerated way.. In severe cases, patients feel that they must do sports constantly to burn "all the fat" (although this is not real).

3. Altered perception of the body

There is also an altered perception of the body; thus, a man with manorexia may see his body as deformed, excessively fat, ugly... Although this is not really the case. Obsession with obtaining the "perfect" physique is also another prominent feature of this disorder. of this disorder.

As we can see, eating disorders almost always include a symptom that causes the patient to focus and obsess about his or her own body (including a distorted view of reality).

4. Consumption of slimming products

Another typical symptom of manorexia is the consumption of slimming products. In his eagerness to lose weight (and above all, not to put on weight), the patient begins to go on a pilgrimage through pharmacies (and the Internet) to buy products that will allow him to achieve his goal..

These products range from laxatives to dietary supplements, among many others.

5. Nausea and vomiting

Nausea and vomiting may also occur (the latter may be self-induced). It is important to emphasize here that a differential diagnosis with anorexia should be made.This is a disorder that also usually includes this symptom, since it should be remembered that men can also suffer from anorexia (although they represent only 10% of all cases).

6. Weakness and fatigue

Generalized weakness and fatigue also appear, probably as a consequence of the previous symptoms.

7. Generalized malaise

Finally, like most disorders (and especially eating disorders), the patient suffers, and therefore a prominent symptom is generalized malaise.

Causes

The causes of manorexia can be very diverse, and it is something that the therapist and/or the physician will have to investigate in depth. Some of the most frequent causes are: low self-esteem, childhood traumas, perfectionist and/or obsessive personality.influence of the predominant pattern of beauty, social pressure, personal insecurities, emotional instability, etc.

These causes can combine and end up causing manorexia. It will be important to analyze each specific case because the causes can vary greatly from one person to another.

Treatment

Manorexia is still a fairly unknown disorder. If we consult the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), we would find manorexia classified as an "Eating Disorder (ED) not otherwise specified", since it is a disorder that does not meet the criteria of any other ED.

If we consult the reference treatment guidelines in mental health, they suggest that, in the case of unspecified ED, the treatment to be applied will be the one that is recommended for the patient, the treatment to be applied will be the one that would be applied for the most similar ED to the one we are treating.. So, in the case of manorexia, we should surely turn to treatments focused on treating anorexia nervosa, such as:

Behavioral treatments:

• Operant contingency management techniques (used mainly in hospital settings).
• Systematic Desensitization Program for the phobic component of the disorder.
• Exposure with response prevention.

On the other hand, cognitive-behavioral treatments are also used, which allow to identify and restructure irrational thoughts. identify and restructure the patient's irrational thoughts or dysfunctional ideas.. These techniques allow above all to work on the body image of the person.

It should be noted that it will be important to have a multidisciplinary approach to manorexia.The figure of the physician and the nutritionist will be key. It will be important for the patient to return to healthy weight levels for his age, height and complexion.

On the other hand, the psychologist should address the patient's distorted thoughts associated with the silhouette and body weight, work with him/her on possible traumatic experiences from the past, review the factors that are maintaining the current problems, enhance his/her self-esteem, review his/her coping strategies, etc.review their coping strategies, etc.

In any case, it will be essential to visit a health professional to start the most appropriate treatment for each person.