Bodybuilding came into the mainstream in the 1970s, and it has transformed the male physique.

But for some the pressure to be muscular is combined with an uncontrolled need to be thin and perfect.

Jean-Marie Lapointe of La Maison Eclaircie, which helps people who have the illness, said one of his greatest career moves was playing a boxer in a movie, but it also led to one of the most harrowing times of his life.

"My parents, they were so scared I was losing weight fast," said Lapointe. "Within a year I lost over 60 pounds, but in the same way I was so happy. I was on a high like a cocaine addict."

Watch Aprodite Salas's special report above.