A growing number of boys are suffering from anorexia, the so-called slimmers' disease normally associated with girls. Almost half of the clinics for young people with eating disorders say there is a 'hidden and growing' problem among boys. Official figures say about one in ten cases of anorexia affect boys and young men.
However most specialists think people are not aware of the problem in boys and crucial symptoms are being missed by family doctors. This is in part because eating disorders in boys are often hidden by an obsession with exercise. Dramatic weight loss can go unnoticed among boys because it may be explained by the sport and other physical activity that they do, said psychiatrists interviewed in the survey for the BBC's Six O'Clock News tonight. 'Teen magazines, school health programmes and even professional literature is full of warning and references only to anorexic girls,' said one psychiatrist. 'It's not surprising it's the last thing parents, teachers and doctors look for in boys.'
One anorexia victim was 12-year-old George Ramsay, who - after being teased and called 'Fatty' in school - decided in the summer of 2000 to go on a diet. At first, his parents were pleased. But by Christmas, his weight had dropped from about 91/2 stone to 71/2 stone. In May 2001, George was taken to Orchard Lodge, an eating disorders clinic near his home in Somerset. 'By now, he was down to 61/2 stone and looked awful,' said his mother, Annette. 'Doctors said if he didn't start eating, he would die. It was hard for him, but he finally did it and we're very proud of him.
George, now 15, says he decided to get fit for the rugby season. 'I wasn't fat, but a bit overweight. I decided to stop eating fat and carbohydrates. I used to tell my parents I was going to have lunch at school, but I didn't do it.' At first, he was pleased with losing weight. 'I could walk around confident that I looked good. 'It felt excellent.' But after a few months, he began to feel bad. 'My energy levels were low and I slept half the day. I suspected something wasn't right, but never felt I had an eating disorder. 'I wanted to get better. I started to feel that I had to eat but it was very difficult - I felt so guilty and horrible by eating that no words can describe it.' However he now says other teenagers should know recovering is possible.
1. Summarize the text in your own words as far as possible. (50 words maximum)
2. Find in the text synonyms for:
- people who are trying to lose weight
- poll, investigation of public opinion
- increasing, getting bigger
- make fun of someone, laugh at someone
- disease, illness
- happy, satisfied
3. Answer the questions in your own words as far as possible:
- Is anorexia an important problem among boys nowadays?
- What are the reasons why parents and doctors are sometimes not aware that boys suffer from anorexia?
- Why did George decide to lose weight?
- When did he realize that he had a serious problem?
- Was it easy for him to solve his problem?
