Eating disorders in older men, such as binge eating disorders, are increasing – but many go undiagnosed, according to a leading Priory eating disorder specialist.

Such eating disorders can be triggered by job loss, divorce or bereavement, or have their origins in childhood, but it is a lot harder for men in general, and older men in particular, to seek Eating disorder treatment for fear of stigma, while many GPs do not recognise the symptoms.

Dr. Eileen Feeney, a Priory consultant psychiatrist specializing in eating disorders, explained that binge eating disorder was characterised by episodes of out-of-control eating rather than consistently overeating on a regular basis.

“People wouldn’t necessarily see it as a disorder, they think ‘he’s just being greedy’ or whatever, but when you actually assess their whole helplessness around trying to control their behaviour once they start to binge, then you actually see it’s a disorder which is having a significant effect on their lives.”

Dr. Feeney, who practices at Priory’s Life Works facility in Surrey, which specializes in the treatment of eating disorders, says that in some cases “very overweight” men can seek help from their GP, but the “awareness isn’t there (for GPs) to ask the extra questions on top of the usual cardiovascular examination of the patient”, and the condition can get missed.

Binge eating disorder is unusual in that unlike many other eating disorders, men are also susceptible to it. “Most of the other eating disorders are predominantly female,” explains Dr. Feeney, which means the condition is sometimes “hidden” among men. “I think it’s definitely under-recognised in men.”

The condition itself involves eating a lot of food in a short space of time, until a person is uncomfortably full, time and time again. Doing so can trigger feelings of guilt or shame, and the binges often happen alone. Dr. Feeney says that older men sometimes suffer from the disorder if “they’ve been drinking a lot, and they’ve tried to cut down”. Those with a history of depression are also known to be vulnerable.

“All forms of mental health problems have been on the rise during lockdown”, says Dr. Feeney, and binge eating disorder is no exception. In 2020, Priory Group saw a 26.09% increase in the number of inquiries it received regarding treatment for binge eating disorders at its private clinics, compared to 2019.

Being indoors means there has been “more opportunity” for binge eating, combined sometimes with the “boredom” of having little else to do. Simply being nearer the kitchen is a risk factor, as is the opportunity to order “massive amounts of takeaways”. Signs of BED include:

Eating an amount that’s larger than what most people would eat in a similar amount of time

Feeling that you’ve lost control over how much you eat

Eating when you’re full or not hungry

Eating rapidly when you binge

Eating until you feel uncomfortable when you’re full

Often finding you eat alone or secretly

Getting into cycles of going on and off a diet