Adonis Specimen: Muscle Dysmorphia An Underrecognised Form of Body Dysmorphic Disorder

This essay was more focused around three studies however the theoretical explanation of muscle dysmorphia has been helpful in understanding how the disorder affects individuals both mentally and socially. The impact of having such an obsessive disorder can result in isolation as those effected withdraw from social events so they can exercise but also due to the anxiety felt when others see their bodies in social situations.

Notes:

‘literature has also characterised body dysmorphic disorder (BOD), a distressing or impairing preoccupation with a nonexistent or slight defect in body appearance’.

‘pathologically preoccupied with the appearance of the body as a whole; they are concerned that they are not sufficiently large or muscular; their lives become consumed by weightlifting, dieting, and associated activities.’

a study showed that some men who ‘had used steroids to "treat" their problem of feeling too small, whereas others developed reverse anorexia nervosa only after they had started using steroids.’

‘To achieve their desired body image, many individuals with muscle dysmorphia adopt an a11consuming lifestyle revolving around their workout schedule and meticulous diet’

‘they forgo intimate relationships or occupational opportunities’.

‘Individuals with muscle dysmorphia also report that they would become extremely anxious or upset if deprived of even 1 day of lifting weights in their usual pattern.’

‘high cost of nutritional supplements and ergogenic (performance-enhancing) drugs, including anabolic steroids, which often cost several hundred dollars per month, some individuals must greatly lower their standard of living.’

‘Among men whom we have studied to date, anabolic steroid use appears common; among the 16 men with "reverse anorexia

nervosa" encountered in the earlier completed study, all (100%) reported a history of anabolic steroid abuse.’

‘muscle dysmorphia might represent a formerly rare psychiatric condition, which has become more prominent as a result of changing cultural trends.’

‘it appears that the disorder produces substantial morbidity, together with maladaptive behaviors such as anabolic steroid abuse, and thus may have important implications for public health.’