[Masculine anorexia nervosa: realities and perspectives]

Since its description by Morton in 1694, masculine anorexia nervosa has been the subject of much debate. For many, two questions remain unanswered: does anorexia nervosa, as described in girls, exist in boys? - if so, is it the same disease? We analyzed the data in the literature which demonstrate a lower incidence than in the female population, although estimates are probable low due to underdiagnosis. The behavioral aspects suggest a similarity between masculine and feminine anorexia nervosa although the pure restrictive forms of anorexia are more rare in boys. There are however a few differences. Affected boys, according to Crips and Burns (1990), are heavier than girls at onset of the disorder but present a lower body weight during certain periods of the disease. Excessive physical activity is more frequent as is excessive intellectual involvement (Margo, 1987). The problem of amenorrhea, on/off periods, is not present in the male form. Testosterone and sexual function decline gradually, in parallel with the state of malnutrition (Anersen, 1990). The patient does not have particular difficulty discussing sexual relations but does exhibit a poor level of experience and mental representations. Contact with the opposite sex is rare and the fantastic life is generally very limited. The frequency of homosexual behavior would lie between 25% (Herzog, 1984) and 58% (Schneider and Agras, 1987), which is higher than in the female anorexia population (Herzog, 1984). This observation raises the question concerning the relationship between masculine mental anorexia nervosa and fragile sexual identity.