What is reverse anorexia?

Reverse anorexia simply stated is just the opposite of anorexia, unlike the obsession to be thin it is characterized by a desperate desire to gain more lean muscle mass and is generally seen in men, however, just like anorexics men suffering from reverse anorexia have a distorted body image; no matter how muscular they are the image that they see in the mirror reflects a small puny fellow! The biggest danger of this eating disorder is that men tend to turn to steroids which can do more harm than good, they may also develop unhealthy eating and exercise patterns in order to bulk up, this can cause a lot of physical and psychological damage.

Though this disorder is commonly seen in men in professions where being muscular or physically fit is of vital importance (for example athletes, models, body builders etc), however, thanks to the media which bombards us with ideals of “perfect”, masculine beauty, this disorder is on the rise even among young men who have no physical fitness related professional demands.