Boys Get Anorexia Too

An account of anorexia nervosa in a 12 year old boy and the effect on his family. Provides an account of his treatment and tips for parents on how to manage everyday situations.

An account of anorexia nervosa in a 12 year old boy and the effect on his family. Provides an account of his treatment and tips for parents on how to manage everyday situations.

Bright, popular and a star on the rugby pitch, 15 year old Ben had everything he could want. But then food-loving Ben began to systematically starve himself. At the same time his urge to exercise became extreme. In a matter of months Ben lost one quarter of his bodyweight as he plunged into anorexia nervosa, an illness that threatened to destroy him. "Please eat... A mother's struggle to free her teenage son from anorexia" is his mother's heart-breaking yet inspirational account of how she watched helplessly as her son transformed into someone she didn't recognise, physically and mentally. It also describes how, with the help of his parents and therapist, and through his own determination, Ben slowly began to recover and re-build his life. Now with new Epilogue (November 2014) ""Cancel your plans for the day when you open this book: the riveting story will have you caring and cheering for a family that the world needs to meet. If only the world knew the truth told in this memoir!" Laura Collins, Founder of F.E.A.S.T. (Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment of Eating Disorders) & Author of Eating with Your Anorexic" ""The world is slowly coming to realise that 'Boys Get Anorexia Too'. Bev Mattocks writes honestly and from the heart about helping her teenage son to overcome anorexia. Like ours, this is another success story of a family working together with friends, school and clinicians to beat this insidious illness. Many families will find great comfort from reading this story as well as much needed energy to fight the eating disorder." Jenny Langley, Author of Boys Get Anorexia Too" ""An essential read for anyone trying to understand more about eating disorders in teenage boys. Bev Mattocks describes the story of her son's anorexia but also provides insight for other families facing this complex illness in a world where anorexia is still associated with teenage girls. Totally recommended." Sam Thomas, Founder, Men Get Eating Disorders Too" ""A powerful, painful account, beautifully written... this book will benefit parents in reducing isolation and feeling more powerful when speaking with healthcare providers." Becky Henry, Founder of Hope Network, LLC & Award Winning Author of Just Tell Her To Stop: Family Stories of Eating Disorders" ""Bev Mattocks is doing such amazing work empowering other parents and helping to raise awareness that boys get eating disorders too." Leah Dean, Executive Director, F.E.A.S.T. (Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment of Eating Disorders)" ""This is a wonderful book. It's quite hard to read because the story is so painful, but easy to read because of the clarity and simplicity of style." Gill Todd, RMN MSc, former Clinical Nurse Leader at the Gerald Russell Eating Disorders Unit, Bethlem & Maudsley Hospitals, London" ""I have just finished Please eat... and it such a powerful page turner! Bev Mattocks has captured the complexity of her family's journey so honestly, bravely and with such clarity of writing. It is a compelling read." Susan Ringwood, Chief Executive, BEAT" ""Please eat... is gut wrenching and touching. It captivated me and I could hardly breathe as I was reading it. I read the first 6 chapters in one sitting. Bev Mattocks has done such a great job of bringing her story to us in a vivid and personal way." Parent"

My Life as a Male Anorexic is a uniquely male point of view of anorexia nervosa. It is the autobiographical account of a young man’s ongoing struggle with anorexia. Michael shared his story as part of the featured health segment “Men Dying to be Thin” on WSVN Channel 7 News in Miami, Florida, in May 1997. Michael Krasnow has had anorexia since 1984, and he chronicles his daily struggles, feelings, and experiences in this book. He writes in a relaxed, easygoing manner that makes the book appealing to all readers. While ignoring statistics and not pretending to be an expert on the disorder, Michael simply tells readers what his life is like and how anorexia has affected--even controlled--it. As of today, Michael has maintained his weight at 75 pounds on a 5-foot, 9-inch frame. Anyone who suffers, or anyone who knows someone who suffers from, anorexia will learn that male anorexia is a serious problem and that there needs to be psychological and medical help for the boys and men who struggle with anorexia. As Michael begins his book, “For years, anorexia existed, but very few people knew of it. Women who suffered from it did not realize that they were not alone. Eventually, as more became known and anorexia became more publicized, a greater number of women came forward to seek help, no longer feeling that they would be considered strange or outcasts from society. Maybe with the publication of this book, more men with the problem will realize that they are not alone either, and that they do not suffer from a ‘woman’s disease.’They can come forward without worrying about embarrassment.” Michael’s story will baffle, frustrate, sadden, and irritate readers, whether they are interested in the human side of Michael’s story, whether they are workers in the medical field--psychologists, psychiatrists, doctors, nurses, aides, social workers, mental health counselors--or whether they are teachers, coworkers, friends, or relatives of a male with anorexia. My Life as a Male Anorexic begins to shed light on the little-known or discussed problem of male anorexia nervosa.

When a child develops anorexia nervosa, parents often don't know where to turn for help. My Kid Is Back offers hope and encouragement for parents in fighting this eating disorder. Based on the Maudsley Approach, a successful family-based treatment, this book gives parents techniques for taking charge of the illness and helping their child move on with their lives. This is a practical guide that provides a fuller understanding of anorexia nervosa and information about where to go for help. It also features the stories of ten families who describe how they coped and the journeys they have made in beating the illness.

Brave, honest and ultimately uplifting, The Boy Who Loved Apples is a compelling and beautifully written account of life with an eating disorder, and a gritty, moving testament to a mother’s love. As Amanda embarked on the long, agonising process of saving her son’s life she found herself battling not just Riche’s demons but her own.

A licensed professional counselor shares how he conquered his out-of-control compulsion to exercise and starve himself which led to multiple hospitalizations and how he overcame a shaming inner voice, which he calls "IT," that convinced him to become thinner.

First published in 1990. The subject of anorexia nervosa and, more recently, bulimia nervosa in males has been a source of interest and controversy in the fields of psychiatry and medicine for more than 300 years. These disorders, sometimes called eating disorders, raise basic questions concerning the nature of abnormalities of the motivated behaviors: Are they subsets of more widely recognized illnesses such as mood disorders? Are they understandable by reference to underlying abnormalities of biochemistry or brain function? In what ways are they similar to and in what ways do they differ from anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa in females? This book will be of interest to a wide variety of people—physicians, psychologists, nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, nutritionists, educators, and all others who may be interested for personal or professional reasons.