Perspectives of Eating Disorders

Peer Response The Journal of Men’s Studies article, "It’s a Touchy Subject": Service Providers’ Perspectives of Eating Disorders in Men and Boys" explores the perceptions and experiences of providers of eating disorder services towards men to understand the challenges and barriers experienced by spoth professionals and patients in addressing the gender bias within this field (Foye, Mycock, et al, 2023).

This small study (n=21) was performed in two phases-first concerns were discussed by participants and from there a secondary analysis was performed on the data. The findings showed that there were three main areas contributing to the barriers in diagnosing and treating men’s eating disorders. First, is that masculinity dictates that men do not seek help. Secondly, the fact that eating disorders are identified as a "woman’s issue." a stereotype held by those suffering and, unfortunately, many service providers. Lastly, there is no place nor protocol for treating men’s eating disorders even if a client is fortunate enough to admit to having a problem, needing help, and finding a provider who acknowledges that men in fact can develop an eating disorder. From this article, I have learned that gender stereotypes can pervade the mental health field-the DSM-V finally removes amenorrhea as a criteria. While men’s eating disorders may present differently from women’s, they still share a commonality. Resources, education, and treatment must be developed for these people. Reference: Foye, U., Mycock, G., & Bartel, H. (2023). "It’s a Touchy Subject": Service Providers’ Perspectives of Eating Disorders in Men and Boys. The Journal of Men’s Studies, O(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10608265231153087 1, For peer responses, reflect on the implications of your peers’ research review on the relationship level and symbolic meanings for human services.

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