'I felt broken and defective': Worrying scale of male anorexia revealed as victims tell their heartbreaking stories



When you hear the word 'anorexia', images of stick thin girls poring over fashion magazines and headlines about underweight models are among those that spring to mind.

But one recovering anorexic, Victor Avon, has spoken out about the unacknowledged dangers of the illness among young men and society's misconception that it is a strictly female-related issue.



Mr Avon, 28, from Brick, New Jersey, fell victim to the life threatening mental disorder when he was an overweight high school student and is only one of millions of boys like him.

Puppy fat: Victor Avon's quest to lose weight became an obsession that spiralled out of control. Now he's speaking out about the dangers of anorexia among males and the misconception that it affects only women



According to the National Eating Disorders Association, at least one million men in the United States are battling anorexia or bulimia.



But statistics are uncertain because of the stigma attached to the disorder and the figure would most probably be far higher if the amount of male sufferers who hadn't sought help were factored in.

Mr Avon, who has been stable for four years, explained this further as he recalled trying to find information about anorexia online. Seeing only advice and data relating to women he felt 'less of a man...broken and defective.'

So afraid of being judged, he hid his illness for a lot longer than he should have, a common story according to Dr. James Lock, a psychiatrist at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.



Victor Avon and his now wife Lindsey in high school before he started losing weight

Oblivious: Lindsey Avon had no idea that her boyfriend could be suffering from anorexia but in fact at least one million boys today are victims of the illness

'Boys don't get identified,' he told MSNBC. 'They come later to treatment. They have therefore had longer time to lose weight so they're physically sicker.



'Sometimes that's allowed the psychological processes to be more reinforced in their own thinking and the behaviors.'

One such tragic patient who fell prey to the psychological trap of anorexia was TJ Warschefsky, a young boy from Michigan who became ill in 1999 aged 14.

Susan Barry, TJ's mother, talked about her son's obsession with perfectionism and hunger for control that eventually took over his ability to reason and finally, his life at the age of 22.

