His doctors were helpful, recognising that something was wrong, but he encountered issues before being diagnosed with. “It was difficult, because the criteria for referral was aimed at women, such as the loss of periods, which obviously didn’t apply to me,” he said.
“When I went home, it was my safe haven. It was less of an issue for me when I was younger, but nowadays with social media, bullies can access their victims at all times.” Jamie had counselling through a local charity that he said was key to his recovery. “It’s great to just let all your feelings out. My family have been really supportive, but there are things I didn’t feel comfortable telling them. And with an outsider, you don’t have to worry about telling them things that will upset them.”for what has primarily been seen as a female illness.
He feels it’s crucial to raise awareness of men with EDs. He was shocked when at a media event organised by Beat, a TV producer passed up his offer to talk to them because he was male. “They said they felt viewers would identify more with a female. That was 10 years ago – thankfully things are changing.”
Of the one in three men who reported they never tried to get treatment for their ED, almost half weren’t aware that treatment was available at all. Respondents said fearing how others would react and not recognising that they needed treatment were key factors for not getting help.Some said that they felt they ‘should’ recover from their eating disorder by themselves, or that they would find it difficult to receive help from another person.