Muscle
Dysmorphia
Muscle Dysmorphia is a sub-type of Body Dysmorphic
Disorder (BDD).
Sufferers of Muscle Dysmorphia (MD) see part(s) of their
body as defective. The excessive preoccupation with body size and muscularity
causes the sufferer to feel 'small' even when they're actually quite muscular.
Muscle Dysmorphia is a syndrome with body image
distortion at its root. More males than ever before are professing dissatisfaction
with their weight, with half of them wanting to gain weight in the form of
muscle mass.
MD exists at the end of a spectrum of behaviours designed
primarily to re-shape the physique - the brain of the bigorexic sees a
perfectly normal body shape, but the mind perceives a skinny nobody; even with
good muscle mass they believe their muscles are inadequate. Muscle Dysmorphia
counts for around 10% of the BDD population, however adding all those males
with less serious muscle obsessions, this percentage would be double or triple
in value.
The term Muscle Dysmorphia was coined in 1997, yet we
still know very little about the development of body image, particularly during
the preschool and early elementary school years and very few researchers have
examined males' body image perception in this age group. We are aware however,
that children as young as five experience feelings of body image
dissatisfaction as they begin to reflect upon, compare and contrast their own
bodies with others and the images around them.
The negative perceptions of our young males is under
reported and often not regarded as an issue of concern, yet with muscle
dysmorphia affecting boys as young as six and up to 7% of high school boys
abusing anabolic steroids to build muscles, with the primary motivation being
to improve physical appearance; a thorough understanding of the signs, symptoms
and causal factors for the development of MD is essential.
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