Body Dysmorphia is a mental health condition that disrupts your feeling and thinking of your own body and appearance. It affects approximately 2% of the population who have negative thoughts about their body. It is a psychiatric condition in which a person becomes highly obsessed with a slight imperfection of their body. It is a disorder in which you cannot stop thinking about perceived defects or flaws in your appearance, even if a flaw is minor and cannot be seen by others. Due to this, you feel embarrassed and anxious about your body and avoid social meetings. When understanding body dysmorphia meaning, you should also know it is related to a neurobiological abnormality derived from its symptoms. Let’s look at its causes and symptoms and see if there is any treatment.
Symptoms Of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)
Body dysmorphic disorder affects how you see and feel about your appearance. It is a negative perception of one or more parts of your body. Body dysmorphia symptoms include how often you compare your perceived defect to others. This leads to anxiety and low self-esteem in social situations.
Here are some common body dysmorphia symptoms:
- Obsessive mirror checking or even avoiding mirrors altogether.
- Compulsive behaviour like skin picking or hair pullings.
- Repetitive behaviour to hide flaws.
- Excessive grooming to the extent of seeking plastic surgery to fix so-called ‘issue’.
- Low self-esteem.
- Anxiety, feeling distressed, disgusted, or shameful about your body.
- Some words described by people with BDD include hideous, ugly, abnormal, defective, unattractive, or deformed.
- Panic attacks when looking at things they don’t like about their bodies or in front of a camera or mirror in public.
- Frequently taking selfies to check on appearance.
- Using photo filters to hide or change things they don’t like.
- Problems concentrating on work or school activities.
- High risk of feeling suicidal and having self-harm behaviour or thoughts.
Area of Concern With Body Dysmorphia
The body dysmorphia meaning signifies that people with BDD are often worried about their most visible parts, like their face, hair, and skin. As we grow, the bodily features change over time, and the disorder may change accordingly.
However, some common areas that people tend to fixate on are as follows:
- Facial parts like the nose, lips, and eyes.
- Skin problems and complexion.
- Hair thickness, colour, and baldness.
- Wrinkles, acne, and other blemishes.
- Breast size and shape.
- Muscle size and tone.
- Genitalia.
Body Dysmorphia Causes
In the United States, approximately 1.7 to 2.4 percent of people have BDD. This number may be higher since many people do not seek medical assistance for their conditions. This happens because people with BDD feel ashamed to admit their concerns about their bodies. Now that we know what is body dysmorphia and its symptoms, let’s check out its causes:
- Environmental factors: External stressors play a massive role in causing BDD. External stressors can be:
- Childhood abuse
- Peer teasing
- Social media trolls or excessive usage of social media.
- Traumatic events
- Emotional conflict
- Parents are always sceptical of a person’s body or colour.
- Genetics: Some studies suggest BDD is more likely to run in families.
Treatment For Body Dysmorphia
Like many other mental health conditions, BDD can also be treated. Body dysmorphia treatment involves a combination of approaches. Doctors adjust the treatment plan according to the person’s symptoms and case. The treatment process may also change over time.
Furthermore, the following are the two approaches that are included in the body dysmorphia treatment.
Psychotherapy
This is a technical term for body dysmorphia therapy. Multiple forms of psychotherapy focus on talking and counselling about a person’s views, experiences, and feelings. This therapy helps develop beneficial and positive thoughts in the person’s mind. It focuses on building coping strategies to deal with their condition in any social situation.
This body dysmorphia therapy may also include family sessions to understand your condition. Family therapy lets the therapist identify your behaviour-building, perceptions, and background. Furthermore, therapists use intensive psychotherapy focusing on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). This combination of therapies is the most effective talk therapy, and it works to replace negative thought patterns with positive ones.
Medicines
The body dysmorphia treatment through medicine includes antidepressants that help reduce the symptoms, making it easier to manage your behaviour and thoughts. These medications are given with psychotherapy to make the overall treatment process effective.
Conclusion
By understanding what is body dysmorphia and its meaning, we know how it affects the confidence of a person in their own personality and body. This mental health disorder makes a person worried about their body’s appearance and interferes with their ability to function normally. Due to its harsh and unfair symptoms, people often rush for cosmetic surgery, which might not be a good option. If you have this condition, feel free to talk to your close one or seek professional help without hesitation. With effective body dysmorphia treatment, it is possible to counter your negative thoughts and feelings and replace them with positive ones. This will improve your lifestyle and mental wellbeing.
