Triggers for boy anorexia
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I have been asked many times ‘Did you ever find out what caused Joe’s anorexia?’. The straightforward answer is ‘no’. However, we have a few ideas about what could have been contributing factors:
He went through a very early puberty. It is no coincidence that many cases of anorexia start in puberty, both in boys and girls. With girls the reason seems more obvious as they look in the mirror and see a more rounded shape developing. Boys tend to be more happy with their developing, more muscular, physique, but if a boy has a very early puberty he might not appreciate the changes that are happening to his body and making him different from his peers. In addition, the raging hormones can trigger irrational behaviour in either sex.
Joe was, and having recovered from his illness is still, a very talented sportsman. This is his explanation: ‘I thought I would be an even better sportsman if I lost a little weight. I felt really good when I lost weight and to start with all my friends commented...
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