Men typically find it more difficult than women to seek help for any ailment, be it physical or psychological, and thus it is easy to assume that only those who seek treatment for an ailment are those who are living with it.

This is often not the case, especially when it comes to eating disorders. Feelings of fear, shame and the perception of society that an eating disorder is a 'girl's condition' make it even more difficult for men to come forward and seek help.

Laurence Francis Nugent passed away on 30th September 2009 at the age of 24 after living with bulimia for 8 years. Since his passing, his family have been approached by many of his friends who have simply asked: 'Why didn't he tell me?'

People are more understanding than we may realise and the first step on the road to recovery is to talk to someone, as the old saying goes 'a problem shared is a problem halved'.