Re-posted from Cleveland Center for Eating Disorders (CCED) blog archives. CCED and The Emily Program partnered in 2014.

Males are historically underrepresented throughout the eating disorder field- as patients, treatment professionals, by diagnosis and prevalence, in research studies, and in stories of recovery. 30 years ago men with eating disorders were virtually invisible and options for treatment were mostly non-existent. Fortunately, we are at a tipping point in our understanding of males and eating disorders. While major gaps still exist in our understanding, we are continuously learning more about males with ED.

According to the National Comorbidity Study (Hudson, 2007), lifetime prevalence in ED in men is:

Anorexia Nervosa- 0.3%

Bulimia Nervosa- 0.5%

Binge Eating Disorder- 2%

In this study, over 50% of men also had co-morbidities.

In a study by Striegel-Moore, et al in 2009, over 26% of men in the community had ED symptomatology.

The holidays often involve family rituals and traditions where food has a central role. The holidays also may be one of the few times that a family comes together each year. Planning ahead can help people with eating disorders (and their loved ones) manage these challenges and enjoy conversation and good times with friends and family during the holidays.

Re-posted from the Cleveland Center for Eating Disorders (CCED) blog archives and updated with additional Emily Program client thoughts. CCED and The Emily Program partnered in 2014.  Contributions by Sarah Emerman.

Every year our understanding of the brain and eating disorders improves. However, there are still a limited number of truly evidence-based treatment for our patients. The search for evidence-based care may feel overwhelming and sometimes futile. Unfortunately, moving in the direction of care that is not evidence-based reduces the likelihood that clients will achieve recovery. There are several reasons why providers may offer care not based on the literature or published data:

Re-posted from Cleveland Center for Eating Disorders (CCED) blog archives. CCED and The Emily Program partnered in 2014.

This haiku was written by a former CCED client. He shares it in hopes that it will inspire others.

Re-posted from Cleveland Center for Eating Disorders (CCED) blog archives. CCED and The Emily Program partnered in 2014.

By Dr. Mark Warren

Often times while in treatment clients wonder how and why their eating disorder developed. The common question “What caused my eating disorder?” is very complicated because it pulls from so many ideas, understandings, conceptions, and misconceptions about the importance of causation, the implication of causation, and the definition of what causation means.

Re-posted from Cleveland Center for Eating Disorders (CCED) blog archives. CCED and The Emily Program partnered in 2014.

By Mark Warren, MD

The book Eating Disorders and the Brain edited by Drs Lask and Frampton continues to be an extraordinarily important book to understanding the etiology of eating disorders. Given our current knowledge, we often say that eating disorders are biologically based. Yet, this is somewhat of a two-dimensional statement as eating disorders are experienced as complex and multifactorial.