All human beings always strive to be this perfect person. We invest so much of our time to achieve perfection that we neglect our health and well-being.  At one point in life, our biggest insecurity a is how we look. We get sucked in by the black hole of endless ways to fix our bodies and become the person we desire to be. This disorder is known as body dysmorphia and according to the International ODC Foundations, 1 in 50 people suffer from this. 

Introduction

Body dysmorphia is a mental health disorder where you constantly think about the flaws in your appearance. You feel desperate and you would do anything to fix your imperfections. You might find temporary satisfaction by putting on makeup or wearing attractive clothes,  but then the anxiety returns, and the vicious cycle repeats. Sometimes even the most minor details bother you that are not visible by others. Although this doesn’t sound like a big problem, the people who suffer from this go through serious health issues because of their endless need for perfection. 

According to the American Psychiatric Association, “BDD [Body Dysmorphic Disorder]  most often develops in adolescents and teens, and research shows that it affects men and women almost equally. In the United States, BDD occurs in about 2.5% in males, and 2.2 % of females. BDD often begins to occur in adolescents 12-13 years of age.” (American Psychiatric Association 2013). The question is, why do people experience body dysmorphia? Micheal L. Gardiner shares her story, she says that people started calling her names, commenting on her physical appearance, and since she was a quiet girl, she never retaliated. The verbal teasing had started to make an impact on her physically. She said, “As a result, I experienced anxiety and lost sleep, and I had nightmares. As my confidence diminished, I projected the negative feelings onto my small frame, which ballooned into focus and became the emphasis of my distress. Nothing fit right, looked right or felt right. I thought I was ugly and unlikeable.” There is an infinite number of reasons why people develop BBD, the most common is probably peer abuse but there are others such as child maltreatment and sexual trauma. 

This mental illness can lead to many other disorders to achieve your desired “perfect body”. This illness not only distorts your mind but your physical appearance too. This can lead to the development of an eating disorder, anxiety, depression, and so much more. 

Effects

Eating Disorder

Eating disorder is an illness where people undergo disturbances in their eating behaviors. This implies that they can either eat an excessive amount or they can skip eating entirely. People with this disorder essentially are obsessed with food and their body weight which suggests that they are conscious of their body image as well. They constantly live in fear of gaining weight and usually perceive themselves as “fat” and avoid eating food. Some people even force themselves to vomit after they consume food. This is known as bulimia, the act of purging oneself to throw up after the consumption of food According to the American Psychiatric Association, some of the effects of eating disorders are, the cease of menstrual periods, the thinning of bones, a drop in blood pressure, falling of internal body temperature, and depression. Mirror-mirror.org says that approximately 30 million people in the US and 70 million around the world suffer from this. 

Anxiety

Everyone feels anxiety at some point in their lives, like before giving a speech or taking a test, but anxiety disorders are a different story. There are tons of different types of anxiety disorders, but the most common one that people struggle with is social anxiety or social phobia. Due to how conscious people are about their body image, they have an intense fear of social gatherings. They always feel as if everyone is eyeing them and judging how they look. The National Institute of Mental Health says that “They worry that actions or behaviors associated with their anxiety will be negatively evaluated by others, leading them to feel embarrassed.” In other words, people suffering from body dysmorphia struggle to meet others because they feel like they are constantly being evaluated on how they look, which makes them feel uncomfortable. They might feel uneasy eating in front of others, thinking that maybe they’re eating too much. This can escalate to a point where they are afraid to go out of their house and even hesitant to be seen by their family. NIMH states that an estimated 7.1% of adults suffer from social anxiety, though not extreme anxiety, they still experienced it. 

Depression

Depression is one of the most severe effects out of all. Although it is very common, it is a serious mood disorder, which negatively affects how you think, feel, and do your daily activities such as sleeping, working, and eating. “Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease your ability to function at work and home.” says the American Psychiatric Association. They also mention that one in every fifteen adults experience this. Sadness is the keyword here, and having BBD can lead to grief and helplessness because you end up being so fed up with how you look.

How to prevent this

There is no specific way we can prevent body dysmorphia, there are many external factors that contribute to this that we cannot control. Body dysmorphia is a rising problem in today’s status quo and the only thing we can do to attempt to stop it is spread body positivity. Stop judging people on their looks and start accepting people for who they are. This can also reduce the societal divide that we humans had unconsciously made based on one’s appearance. We can’t control what others think or say, but one thing we can do to help ourselves is to stay confident and realize that there are true friends and family that care about you and love you for who you are. Another thing to keep in mind is to be kind to others and think before you say something. Positivity is the best way to prevent many people from suffering from this disorder; to achieve this, we must work together and spread love and body positivity.  

References

Mayo Clinic. (19 October 2019). Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Retrieved on October 28, 2020, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/body-dysmorphic-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20353938

Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Body Dysmorphic Disorder: BDD. Retrieved on October 31, 2020, from https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/related-illnesses/other-related-conditions/body-dysmorphic-disorder-bdd

American Psychiatric Association. (January 2017). What are Eating Disorders? Retrieved on October 29, 2020 from, https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/eating-disorders/what-are-eating-disorders

Mirror Mirror. (May 2014). Eating Disorder Statistics. Retrieved on October 30, 2020 form, https://mirror-mirror.org/facts-staticstics

National Intsitue of Mental Health. (July 2018). Anxiety Disorders. Retrieved on October 31, 2020 from, https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders/index.shtml

American Psychiatric Association. (October 2020). What is Depression? Retrieved on October 31, 2020 from, https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression/what-is-depression

National Intsitue of Mental Health. (Febuary 2018). Depression. Retrieved on October 31, 2020 from, https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtm