HAGERSTOWN, Md. (WUSA)–While women are usually affected by eating disorders, it’s estimated one million men and boys battle the illness every day. But the stigma for men is tremendous–mainly because eating disorders are thought of as a “girl’s disease.” So many males do not seek treatment. Patrick Bergstrom, of Hagerstown, Maryland, is determined to break the silence.
“The thing I can say about the mirror is when I looked in it, I didn’t see what everyone else saw,” says Patrick, who is 25-years-old.
Patrick is a recovering anorexic.
“I didn’t see how thin I was. How pale I was,” he says sitting in his parent’s living room.
Patrick won’t talk about how low his weight got. But if Patrick had not sought treatment earlier this year, doctors say he would have been dead within a year. He was consuming less than 500 calories a day.
“I was probably living off Starbucks and maybe a piece of bagel. And it just got to the point where I couldn’t even keep that down.”
Like many male anorexics, Patrick was known for his athleticism. He was a star lacrosse player and weight lifter in high school. But then came college. Patrick had some run-ins with a lacrosse coach. He started to doubt himself.
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