Body Dysmorphic Disorder

As with females, body image among males is a prevailing symptom and underlying motivation for the development and continuation of the disorder.

Upon reflection, I have decided to go into more research on this topic through the question of: What is Body Dysmorphic Disorder and how have print and television advertisements

Body dysmorphic disorder or BDD is a type pf mental illness in which you can’t stop thinking about a flaw in your appearance. You intensely obsess over your appearance and body image, often for many hours a day. Your perceived flaw causes you significant distress, and your obsession impacts your ability to function in your daily life. You may seek out numerous cosmetic procedures or excessively exercise to try to "fix" your perceived flaw, but you're never satisfied. Body dysmorphic disorder is also known as dysmorphophobia, the fear of having a deformity.

People now a days have a problem with the way they appear. For hundreds of years, people, especially females, have been concerned with their weight, the way they look, and the way people perceive them. In the article, Do You Have a Body Image Problem? author Dr. Katharine A. Phillips discusses the concerns with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). Dr. Phillips uses her knowledge or ethics to discuss the effects that BDD has on people today. She also uses emotion to show the reader how people are seriously affected by this disorder. In Dr. Phillips article, she discusses how people are emotionally and socially affected by the body dysmorphic disorder, and how society is also affected by it.

It's tempting to want to get plastic surgery. It makes those with Body Dysmorphic Disorder feel better about themselves. Plastic Surgery has exploded the last couple decades being a popular trend from people being unsatisfied with their body, with a goal towards perfection. No wonder these modern day popular procedures are being used as a self improver to achieve perfection of one's looks for those with BDD. It may question many, why do people of BDD have the urge of aiming for perfection? The disorder causes them to have obsession with their appearance. They may thrive on a boost to their confidence in their workplace or school. It usually will help them with confidence for a while causing even better outcomes. The issue is it won't be long term confidence assuming surgery goes accordingly, and assuming surgery goes wrong it can cause major disappointment emotionally.

Body image disorders which can be very serious severe conditions are often considered to mostly affect women, men, however can also suffer from Body image issues. In men, a body image disorder typically presents itself as Muscular Dysmorphia. Men who are suffering from Muscular Dysmorphia often resort to hazardous ways to gain more muscle, such as over-exercising unhealthy amounts and steroids. Treatment for Muscular Dysmorphia frequently includes prescription anti-depressants. While effective, prescription drugs create a dilemma for a high school guidance counselor who may face ethical barriers in recommending a potentially harmful medication to minors. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (or CBT), has shown promise as an effective non-pharmaceutical treatment for body image disorders, and has been used in the school setting for years.

Body dysmorphic disorder is a psychological disorder in which a person thinks about their flaws and imperfections for hours a day and take extreme measures in order to “perfect their body” so it can finally appeal to them and be the way it is “suppose to be.” Those who suffer from this disorder cannot control there negative thoughts and it can prevent them from doing everyday activities such as attend school and attend work. They are more prone to miss social events than go out to show off their results and are insecure about how they tried to fix there “imperfections.” And are never satisfied with their results as they undergo more drastic measures to reach their end goal such as plastic surgery, continuous self-tanning, hours of laser surgeries

Chronic dieting, low self-esteem, depression and, high levels of body dissatisfaction were among the major issues women face when addressing their body image (Gingras, Fitzpatrick, & McCargar, 2004). The severity of body image dissatisfaction have increased to such a dangerous state that it was added to the DSM-IV as a disorder now called body dysmorphic disorder (Suissa, 2008). One of the main reasons for the prevalence of these conditions in women was due to contemporary Western media, which serve as one of the major agent in enforcing an ultra-thin figure as the ideal for female beauty (Saraceni & Russell-Mayhew, 2007). These images and models presented by the media have become the epitome of beauty, pushing women who internalized these images to dangerous extent to attain these norms. According to evidence from previous studies, contemporary Western cultures have influenced women to an acquired normative state of discontent with their bodies, which have become the source of maladaptive eating practices, negative psychological outcomes, and, chronic health conditions associated with eating disorders (Snapp, Hensley-Choate, & Ryu, 2012). The seriousness of these body image conditions among youths and women have also led to congressional actions.

A psychosomatic disorder includes Body Dysmorphic Disorder. This disorder allows a person to think negative about their real selves for many hours each day. This is because they believe that any part of their body is not perfect for them. They believe that no matter what their friends or family tell them about how great they look, they wish that they had a better and skinnier body, face shape, etc. Since this disease doesn’t let them control what they think, it is hard for them to not be stressed out because their mind causes them to be in an emotional distress state, which causes their daily routines to be disturbed (ADAA 2014). According to Anxiety and Depression Association of America, they stated that “it affects men and women almost equally”

The International OCD Foundation discovered that about 1 in 50 of the general population suffers from body dysmorphic disorder. Body dysmorphic disorder, or body dysmorphia, is a mental health condition where a person spends too much time worrying the imperfections in their appearance. Anyone can have body dysmorphia, but it is most common in teenagers and young adults.

Muscle dysmorphia's rising incidences are due partly to recent popularity of extreme idealisation of men's bodies. Very stressful and distracting, muscle dysmorphia's body related concerns encoursge absences from school, work, and socializing. Perceiving your own body as highly undesirable, may cause you to avoid dating. Versus other body dysmorphic disorder, the rates of suicide attempts may be especially high. Although like anorexia nervosa in females, muscle dysmorphia is quite unknown and hard to recognize, especially because males experiencing it typically look healthy to others. By some estimates, 10% of gym-going men experience muscle

Body dysmorphic disorder also shows up in other countries. BDD is a common disorder among individuals seeking aesthetic surgery in Iran. In Brazil, prevalence of the disorder in dermatologic patients was evaluated in a sample of 150 patients in a cosmetic group, 150 in a general dermatology group, and 50 control subjects. Prevalence in the cosmetic group was 14%, compared with 6.7% for the general group, and 2% for the control group.

Thought there is no doubt in my mind that all body image disorders certainly have an influence from culture, however with Psychology, there is never a singular cause for any disorder. Culture, traumatic events, brain chemistry, and genetics are all aspects of what causes these disorders. All eating disorders and body dysmorphia/body image disorders ultimately have a link to depression and social anxieties. These types of disorders are the most misunderstood of any kind. Most feel that depression is “being sad”, but that is not the case. Often times depression has no cause and occurs because of a lack of adequate brain chemistry, leaving the sufferer with an emptiness that they seek to avoid through escapist behaviors, like drinking or drug

A body image problem didn’t mean that there is problem with your look, but rather that you are observing and valuing your physical appearance in a bad way. Body Dysmorphic Disorder, or BDD, states to a particular body image problem manifest by an intense obsession with a perceived blemish in your physical appearance.

high prevalence of body image concerns, there has been an increase in observed and medical attention, as it found to have negative consequences on audiences alike.