More than a million people in Britain are believed to suffer from an eating disorder – and one in ten of them are men.

The popular perception of someone with an eating disorder is a teenage girl, starving herself to death in a bid to get that "perfect" body.

But this is all wrong, according to Yorkshire eating disorders expert, Dr John Morgan. "The first mention of eating disorders goes back to the 17th century where half the cases were men," says Dr Morgan, who heads up the Yorkshire Eating Disorder Centre, in Seacroft, Leeds.

Over time, men started to suffer in silence as admitting to an eating disorder became associated with being weak.

But in 2000 the eating disorders charity B-eat commissioned a review of healthcare provision for men with eating disorders after an increasing number of men contacted them, trying to find help. It was this piece of work which inspired Dr Morgan to write The Invisible Man, the first self-help book for men suffering eating disorders. All profits from the book, published earlier this year, will go to the Eating Disorder Association.

"The first thing is to admit you have a problem to yourself; the second thing is to admit that problem to someone else, preferably a health professional."

Dr Morgan spent 15 years at St George's Hospital in London, the largest national eating disorder clinic, before moving to Leeds three years ago. He regularly talks to children and teenagers about eating disorders, as well as GPs and health professionals.

Former deputy prime minster and Hull MP John Prescott says it was the stress of his job which caused him to eat excessively and then make himself sick, something which continued for more than two decades.

Dr Morgan says stress is often a trigger among men, although young men come under as much pressure as women to achieve the unattainable.

"There is increasing pressure on young, straight men to have the perfect body," says Dr Morgan.

"Men do tend to present later, because they take longer admitting they have a problem," he says. "As a result, it can be harder to treat them as they tend to be much more ill." Although Mr Prescott managed to keep
his bulimia private, his wife Pauline realised something was wrong and persuaded him to see a doctor, and he says he recovered from the illness a year ago. He now hopes to raise awareness of the plight of men with eating disorders so that more will come forward earlier.

In his soon-to-be-published memoirs Mr Prescott talks about being the only man at an eating disorders clinic.

"That is not an uncommon story," says Dr Morgan, who runs one of the country's few dedicated clinics for men.

"It is important that men find a therapist who will understand their needs. Men also struggle to put their feelings and emotions into words." Dr Morgan welcomes Mr Prescott's revelations and hopes it will encourage more men to seek help. "There hasn't been a high-profile man talking about eating disorders before; what John Prescott has done is really important. Eating disorders have the highest death rates of any condition, but almost worse than that is living with it and suffering."

Dr John Morgan's book The Invisible Man is published by Routledge. To order from the Yorkshire Post Bookshop, call 0800 0153232 or go to www.yorkshirepost bookshop.co.uk. P&P is £2.75.