The Role of Gender in Mental Health

Eating disorders are conditions relating to a preoccupation with food, weight and body image. The three main types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa (obsession with food and weight to the point of under-eating and even self-induced starvation), bulimia nervosa (episodes of food binging followed by purging through induced vomiting or excessive exercise) and binge-eating disorder (regularly eating an excessive amount without trying to compensate for the increased caloric intake). Anorexia and bulimia are three times more common in women than men, possibly due to an increased focus and pressure on the body image of women in America as well as an underdiagnosis in men. It is important to seek help if you are struggling with an eating disorder, as such disorders come with an increased risk for depression, gastrointestinal issues such as IBS, bone loss and even death. In fact, it might surprise you to learn that people with anorexia have a six-fold increased risk of death, making it the deadliest mental disorder.