What is reverse anorexia nervosa?
Reverse anorexia nervosa simply stated is just the opposite of anorexia, unlike the obsession to be thin it is characterized by a desperate desire to gain more lean muscle mass and is generally seen in men, however, just like anorexics men suffering from reverse anorexia have a distorted body image; no matter how muscular they are the image that they see in the mirror reflects a small puny fellow! , they may also develop unhealthy eating and exercise patterns in order to bulk up, this can cause a lot of physical and psychological damage.
Though this disorder is commonly seen in men in professions where being muscular or physically fit is of vital importance (for example athletes, models, body builders etc), however, thanks to the media which bombards us with ideals of “perfect”, masculine beauty, this disorder is on the rise even among young men who have no physical fitness related professional demands.
Biological Psychiatry Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02178.
Two disorders of body image encountered in a study of 108 bodybuilders are described. In a study of the psychiatric effects of anabolic steroids, structured interviews were administered to 55 bodybuilders who had used anabolic steroids and 53 non-user controls. Three (2.8%) of the subjects reported a history of anorexia nervosa--a rate far higher than the 0.02% rate typically reported among American men (P < .001). Nine (8.3%) of the subjects, two of whom were former anorexics, described a "reverse anorexia" syndrome, where they believed that they appeared small and weak even though they were actually large and muscular. Reverse anorexic subjects reported that they declined social invitations, refused to be seen at the beach, or wore heavy clothes even in the heat of summer because they feared that they looked too small. All nine reverse anorexia cases occurred among steroid users; none occurred among non-users (P < .003). Four subjects reported that their reverse anorexic symptoms contributed to their decision to start using steroids. Disorders of body image, including both anorexia nervosa and its reverse form, may occur frequently in men who lift weights regularly. Reverse anorexia may precipitate or perpetuate the use of anabolic steroids in some individuals.
Im sure we have many sufferers here :blush:
