Can men develop eating disorders? Why is there so much stigma around men and anorexia? Today I am joined by Mike Napier, a late-diagnosed autistic male who shares his story with disordered eating, depression, and suicidal ideation. In this episode of The Liv Label Free Podcast, Mike and I discuss:

Growing up undiagnosed autistic, earliest memories painted by depression, and history of suicidal thoughts
The masking of autistic traits, depression, and mental illness from family
Development of anorexia by way of autistic special interest and as a coping mechanism for depression
Eating as a little known autistic stim. The realization that previous poor relationships with food stemmed heavily from a need to use food as a sensory override and finding self-soothing elsewhere
Using the all-sensory experience of taste, texture, and chewing, and how using chewelry as an adult is nothing to be ashamed of
The potential benefits of mindful eating as a way to aid improvement of eating-related stimming
The stigma and societal attitudes on men with eating disorders, particularly anorexia, and how it led to an incorrect diagnosis of binge eating disorder (BED), and a worsening of symptoms
How the lack of research on males with restrictive eating disorders caused medical complications
How small changes to neutral gender language and specifying when you're discussing gender differences can completely change recovery for men and those beyond the binary
Why mental illness does not discriminate and how language use has the potential to discount a whole sections of sufferers
His advice and personal philosophy to anyone struggling and needing a little hope or joy to grasp onto

🌈 Buy Rainbow Girl: A Memoir of Autism and Anorexia
🫶 Schedule a consultation call for 1-1 coaching here
🍩 Enroll in my course, Extremely Hungry to Completely Satisfied

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RTFF: Warren Sharp