He describes a regimen of inpatient or outpatient hospital treatment, depending on the illness severity. Conditions such as anemia or depression are treated, and patients gradually relearn proper eating habits. Treatment also usually includes psychotherapy, which helps patients understand why they have the illness. Other antidepressants also are being studied. FDA has approved tricyclics for other uses but not specifically for eating disorders.
Treatment is followed by weeks, months, even years of follow-up to ensure complete recovery.
Men in support groups for eating disorders, as well as those for breast cancer and osteoporosis, say the public gradually is becoming more aware that these disorders can occur in men. They also say there's a long way to go. Some think doctors need to be enlightened. Others bemoan the lack of research. But most seem to agree that men should be educated about the disorders and how to detect them.