Anorexia: Not just for the girls

While eating disorders such as anorexia and bullimia are generally associated with women, it might surprise you to learn that Australia has one of the highest rates of males diagnosed with eating disorders worldwide.

Figures from The Butterfly Foundation, show that one in four children diagnosed in Australia with these conditions are male. The Foundation reports that one in three male year 9 students used strategies such as fasting, vomiting, diet pills, laxatives and smoking to keep weight down.

The Foundation's chief executive Christine Morgan indicates this most likely reflects a greater increase on male body image, similar to that faced by females.

"As the focus turns more and more to men being skinny,

that pressure on their body image increases. You

start down that process of very disordered eating."

I'm not sure we should be surprised. With all the airbrushing of images, which coincidentally Coffeeyoghurt happens to be discussing currently, and the unrealistic images promoted to us all, why shouldn't men be equally affected. What do you think?
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Mensline Australia

I can usually tell when something is bugging Practical Man but getting him to open up about what's eating him is usually harder than drawing blood from the proverbial stone. His behaviour is not that unusual. Many men find it hard to open up about what they're feeling.

So I was excited when I came across Mensline Australia today, a mental health support website specifically dedicated to men of all ages. Mensline Australia is managed by Crisis Support Services, a not-for-profit community organisation and is funded by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) as part of the department’s Men and Family Relationships initiative, launched in 1997. The initiative offers a range of services and programs to support men in managing family and relationship difficulties.

It offers a wealth of support information in areas such communication in relationships, relationship breakdown, fathering from a distance, family violence and so on.

There is a specific youth section which has information on depression and anger management, being a first time father (coincidentally, I just read an article on post-natal depression in men), unplanned pregnancy, drinking responsibly, same sex attraction amongst others.

The site also has sections for the Arabic, Indigenous and Vietnamese communities.

There's an online forum and a 24 hour support line run by trained professionals (1300 789978 - Australia only).

The ticking of the male biological clock?

Remember this exchange from When Harry Met Sally?

Sally: But it's there. It's just sitting there, like some big dead end. And it's not the same for men. Charlie Chaplin had kids when he was 73.

Harry: Yeah, but he was too old to pick them up.

Just as with women, the number of men having children later in life is increasing. People are marrying later, often starting a second family. Men, of course, are largely unrestricted by any biological reproductive timeline, although that seems to be changing for women with assisted reproduction, showcased to the extreme by this story.

Anecdotally, a number of older fathers report benefits to approaching parenthood later in life. They feel able to be more committed to parenting, being more financially secure, less pressured by work, having more leisure time. Certainly, this seems to have been the case in my own family. There's a sizeable gap between myself and my siblings and the relationship I had with my father seems to have been both qualitatively and quantitatively different to that reported by my siblings. My father eventually went on to have a second family and I could see the father-daughter relationship became even stronger and richer. The flipside of that, of course, is that my father unfortunately died when my half-sister was very young.

Social issues aside, increasing attention is being paid to potential health problems associated with late fatherhood. The risk of birth defects in women having children later in life is well documented. However, studies have reported potential links to increased risk of autism, schizophrenia among other health conditions in the offspring of older fathers.

This should not necessarily be a red flag to embracing fatherhood later in life. Like anything else, there's always a trade off. What it does suggest, however, is that men may have their own version of the so-called biological clock and might want to take that in consideration when planning their family.

Older fatherhood. What do you think? Try the new fangled poll in the sidebar (as long as this technical imbecile can get the code to work, that is!)

Postscript

If you're interested in reading more on late fatherhood and autism, check out this informative post from Moof.

Poll results

Is it ever too late to consider fatherhood?

Absolutely not. Maturity makes for better parenting. 9% (1 vote).

No, within reason (under 60). 18% (2 votes).

Yes, I'd worry about the father being there for the child. 64% (7 votes).

Yes, I'm concerned about the health risks for the child. 9% (1 vote).

Resources

Bray, I., Gunnell, D., & Davey Smith, G. (2006). Advanced paternal age: How old is too old? Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 60, 851-853. *
Reichenberg, A., Gross, M.D., Weiser, M.,Bresnahan, M., Silverman, J., Harlap, S. et al. (2006). Advancing Paternal Age and Autism. Archives of General Psychiatry, 63, 1026-1032. *

*Abstracts only, subscription required for full article

Thanks to Leslie for sending me the references underlying this post.

Breast cancer. It's not just about the girls.

Kylie Minogue's battle with breast cancer has been in the news a great deal over the past year. It's great that people like Kylie and Belinda Emmett have gone public with their health problems to spread awareness of this disease and drive home the fact that breast cancer can affect much younger women too. After all, approximately 12,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in Australia alone.

However, did you know that around 100 men a year in Australia are also diagnosed with breast cancer? Surprised me. Horrified many of my male friends who didn't even realise men could get breast cancer.

While there's many excellent resources out there for women, the issues faced by men with a breast cancer diagnosis can be quite different. In the provision of information about this condition, men have been largely forgotten.

“It’s understandable that men diagnosed with breast cancer could feel a deep sense of isolation when so much of the information and support available is targeted towards women."

Dr Helen Zorbas, Director of the National Breast Cancer Centre.

Until now.

The National Breast Cancer Centre (NBCC) has set up a website for men with breast cancer in acknowledgement that diagnosis can be devastating for anyone. The site incorporates information specifically targeted at men, with signs and symptoms, methods of diagnosis, treatment options and many other useful resources.

Excellent stuff. As is the case with women, The National Breast Cancer Centre urges any man who notices a change in the look or feel of his breast to see his GP without delay. A very important message. Pass it along to the men in your life.

Resources

JohnWNick Foundation
NBCC Press Release

The Crying Game?

World cup fever is upon us.

For those who will temporarily become football widows during this time, the news is not all bad.

A survey by the Mental Health Foundation in the UK highlights the importance of football in helping men express their softer side. Two thirds of the men who completed the survey said that watching football made it easier for them to share their feelings with other men.

Dr. Andrew McCulloch, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation, says:

“It is encouraging that football makes it easier for men to talk about their feelings as traditionally, men are far less likely than women to share their innermost thoughts. It is important that men feel able to express their emotions in whatever way they find most comfortable."

Besides emotional release, football has also been linked to other positive psychological benefits including building social connections and promoting exercise.

For those wishing to put forward a good argument for spending a lot of time in front of the television over the next few weeks, more about the psychological impact of football can be read here.