Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Address Eating Disorder Symptomatology in Gay Men

Abstract

This article considers how social-cultural pressures place many gay men at heightened risk for body image dissatisfaction and consequent engagement in addictive behaviors that include excessive exercise, bingeing, and purging. Working from a minority stress and self-objectification theoretical lens, the pressures that many gay men face from mainstream society as well as the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community are explored. This review ends with a discussion of how Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is an innovative, culturally salient treatment model to address these concerns for gay men.

KEYWORDS:

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
• body image
• eating disorders
• gay men