Body dysmorphia is a condition that negatively affects a person’s perception of their physical appearance. People with body dysmorphia tend to obsess with their body’s flaws and can have a massive impact on someone’s life. In this article, you’ll be learning about this mental health disorder and if it can go away.
In What Ways Does Body Dysmorphia Affect People?
People who struggle with body dysmorphia are affected in nearly every aspect of their life. For example, they view themselves as “ugly” and constantly think about their supposed flaws throughout the day. In turn, their self-esteem drops to the point where they stop carrying out their daily responsibilities, such as house chores, school work, or job duties.
Some people with body dysmorphia can end up isolating themselves to avoid being seen by their friends and family. They also adopt harmful behaviors and get one or more surgeries to try and “improve” their body.
Who Can Get Body Dysmorphia?
Anyone can get body dysmorphia regardless of their age and gender. Normally, it develops during the teenage years or early adulthood. That’s the age where children become more self-conscious of their bodies.
Sadly, body dysmorphia is a chronic condition. Yet, there are ways to improve this mental health condition.
What Causes Body Dysmorphia?
The origin of body dysmorphia is unknown, although possible triggers. For example, some include:
- Experiencing a traumatic event as a child
- Having low self-esteem
- Receiving critical behavior from parents
- Dealing pressure from society’s beauty standards
Other mental health conditions can be present in people with body dysmorphia. Some include anxiety, an eating disorder, or depression.
Symptoms
Symptoms of body dysmorphia can manifest in different ways, depending on each individual. However, the most common symptoms include:
- Obsessive worrying of one’s physical appearance
- Adopting repetitive behaviors such as constantly looking in the mirror
- Asking for reassurance on their own appearance often
- Having problems engaging at work or school due to their obsession over their flaws
- Avoiding being in public spaces to not be seen
People who deal with this mental condition also try to find ways to “improve” their physical appearance. For example, they may constantly be getting aesthetic treatments and surgeries.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Body Dysmorphia
Even though body dysmorphia is considered a chronic mental health condition, symptoms can improve after receiving treatment. However, in order to find the appropriate treatment, the best thing is to speak with a healthcare professional first.
For example, cognitive behavioral therapy results to be very effective in treating body dysmorphia. It allows you to identify what triggers your symptoms and helps you find different types of coping mechanisms. CBT also includes exposure and response prevention techniques, which consists of placing the individual in triggering situations to help practice the coping strategies learned.
Seek Professional Help
Body dysmorphia is not something you should be ashamed of, and the positive thing is that there are ways to improve it. So, if you think that you or a loved one is struggling with body dysmorphic disorder, encourage them to seek professional help. And, if you want to keep reading about more health-related topics, be sure to check out our website for more.
