BODY DYSMORPHİC DİSORDER

What Is Body Dysmorphic Dısorders?

Body dysmorphic disorder is the condition that causes people to become obsessed with their external appearance, perceive their image negatively and struggle with their body parts, which they consider problematic due to their existing perceptions. A person with a body dysmorphic disorder has a distorted perception about its external appearance. This perception may be true defects related to the eyes, nose, mouth, skin, muscles and any part or appearance of the body, as well as often related to imperfections that do not actually exist. Even if there is any defect, it is so small that few people, except the person, will notice it. Body dysmorphic disorder is a frequently understood and rare disorder. It can be confused with obsessive-compulsive disorder or depression. This is because the ailments mentioned overlap with some of their symptoms and features. In contrast, body dysmorphic disorder is a more common disorder than one might think. It is estimated that about one in fifty people has a body dysmorphic disorder. Perceived defects and deformations for a person with body dysmorphic disorder are severe and worrying. Due to this violent and worrying perception, the person may not be able to adapt to its daily life and its ability to work may be impaired. Body dysmorphic disorder can cause individuals to be isolated from social life and experience a weakness in this sense if not treated.

Identifying Body Dismorphic Disorders

Body dysmorphic disorder has been classified as a somatoform disorder, which previously had a slightly different definition in DSM-4. Inclusion in the Obsessive-Compulsive and Associated Disorders group is a change introduced with DSM-5. Body dysmorphic disorder, DSM-5 criteria are listed as following:

A. To struggle with one or more flaws or defect / disability perception thoughts that are not observable by others or ignored by others,

B. During the course of this disorder, the person may be involved in recurrent behaviors (eg looking in the mirror, overpainting, plucking its skin, seeking assurance) or mental actions (eg comparing its appearance to others) for some time due to concerns about its appearance.

C. These mental engagements cause a clinically apparent problem for the person or a drop in one's social or work-related areas and other important areas of functionality.

D. These mental endeavors about appearance have concerns about body fat or weight in a person who meets the criteria for an eating disorder diagnosis.

In addition, there are several areas that may require technical characteristics. The first concern is muscle dysmorphism, a type of body dysmorphic disorder, and questions whether the person is too small or busy with certain areas of his/her body. The latter is more general and involves obtaining relevant information, with three possible options for one's beliefs about the situation. With good or fair insight; the individual acknowledges that their beliefs about body dysmorphic disorder are absolutely or probably not true or may or may not be true. With its weak insight; the individual thinks that their beliefs about body dysmorphic disorder are probably correct.

With insightless / delusional beliefs; the individual is fully convinced that their beliefs about body dysmorphic disorder are correct. This last chapter is particularly important in diagnoses. Because it can determine which treatment process and method is required. However, unfortunately, many psychiatrists and psychologists may have difficulty recognizing the symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder and confuse it with depression or obsessive compulsive disorder. For this reason, it will make a difference to recognize the behavior, symptoms and signs in yourself and those around you, to get the right treatment and to save a life.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder Symptoms

Although some of the symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder have been described above by the DSM-5 criteria, there are more symptoms that need attention. In addition to the obvious symptoms such as obsessively checking the image in front of the mirror, grooming habits, and comparing themselves with others, some people with body dysmorphia may experience the following conditions.

- Demonstrate camouflaging behavior (hide their body with clothing, makeup and body position / posture),

- Doing excessive research and thinking about surgery,

- Avoiding looking in the mirror,

- Excessive exercise.

In addition to those, significant changes can be observed in one's weight, and one's friends, family, and peers may notice serious weight changes. Although they are different from each other, body dysmorphic disorder can often be accompanied by eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia nervosa. A person with body dysmorphic disorder and anorexia may believe that he/she is overweight. However, in reality they loses excessive weight due to low food intake. Therefore, it is also possible for the person to appear malnourished and ill. However, a person with a body dysmorphic disorder still has work to do in mind. At the other end of the spectrum, those who think they're too small are busy eating enough food and spending time in the gym and lifting weights, usually in muscle dysmorphia, a subtype of body dysmorphic disorder that usually affects men. These obsessions can also cause other psychiatric problems, such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse and even suicide.

Body Dysmorphic Disorders Are More Than Your Size

In our society, it is difficult to see our body as it is. Women and men are exposed to harmful body standards daily. Exposure to a limited amount of body shape and size (for example, seeing only women who are too thin or women with visible abdominal muscles) can harm someone with a body dysmorphic disorder. These types of exposures do not reflect the reality for most women. To get any of these body types, it is necessary to have a low enough body fat percentage, which can damage a woman's menstrual cycle, physical and mental health, and bone density. Since some people are healthy in these body types, it would not be correct to describe these body types as completely “wrong”. However, some beauty standards may also be a factor causing the formation and progression of body dysmorphic disorder. Contrary to its name, body dysmorphic disorder not only focuses on the body. Many people with body dysmorphic disorder perceive things like acne, freckle, nevus, bristle, nose as a defect in the face. A person with a body dysmorphic disorder of such things may feel that the relevant parts of their body are deformed and again tend to hide their respective body parts. He/She may not even want to show his/her face. This can limit people's ability to leave home and cause them to develop agoraphobia.

What Is The Connection Of Size Dysmorphic Disorders With The Eating Disorders?

It is very common for eating disorders to coincide with body dysmorphic disorder. People of all sexes, races, all ages, all income levels, all body sizes can show severe and life-threatening eating disorders. Eating disorders are not limited to anorexia and bulimia. Eating until clogged is another eating disorder that has been identified. Excessive exercise can be a sign / symptom of various eating disorders. This sign / symptom predominates not being noticed, and even praised in our society, despite the damage it can cause to a person's body. Body dysmorphic disorder accompanied by eating disorder can contribute to a very harmful cycle. Undernutrition may cause the person to perceive herself/himself as imperfect. Either condition can cause a person to “do a body check” by looking in the mirror excessively throughout the day. Rituals and behaviors like this can be quite intrusive.Concomitant disorders as well as eating disorders are often diagnosed in people with body dysmorphic disorders.These conditions may include, but are not limited to, anxiety disorders, depression, or other mood disorders.

 What Is Online Therapy? What Are The Benefits?

The most difficult part of treatment for any mental health disorder is to create awareness and raise awareness about the disorder in the first step. If you have been dealing with mental health disorder that has not been controlled or regulated for years, the symptoms that accompany these issues may appear to be part of your identity rather than being part of a problem that can be treated for you. Once you are aware of the problem and can accept that treatment is a possibility for you, it becomes much easier to take the first steps required to achieve this goal. Another important issue that often gets in the way of certain individuals is self-diagnosis or attempting to deal with a major mental / psychological health disorder on their own. Diagnosis should be made by a mental health professional who can better guide the person in the treatment process and provide the tools and other resources. In order to avoid further complications in the future, to overcome the discomfort, the diagnosis should be made as quickly and successfully as possible.

In such cases, the most common question people can have is, "How should I start?". In the healing process, there are usually two ways to bypass body dysmorphic disorder and start a life not limited by body dysmorphic disorder. The first method to apply is to look for a consultant who specializes in such ailments in your area and provides online therapy that can provide you with the necessary treatment and resources to help you deal with signs / symptoms. For many people, online therapy is a good option. Because there may not be a specialist consultant in the area around the person or there may be time restrictions that limit the person's travel and make it impossible to reach the appointments they need. Fortunately, there are many helpful online resources for anyone who has these types of issues to review the common issues and get the help they need to help resolve them. One source that you can use whenever you need and where you can get online therapy is Terapiya. Terapiya is an online therapy platform that provides 24/7 access to certified therapists who can cope with any mental / psychological health problem. Thanks to Terapiya, you can meet your therapist and receive therapy services in the privacy of your own home or wherever you prefer, by accessing a reliable internet connection. It is known that individuals with body dysmorphic disorders have difficulties leaving their homes. Terapiya can be particularly useful for people with body dysmorphic disorder and having trouble getting out of the house. If you suspect that you are suffering from a body dysmorphic disorder, body image disorder, eating disorder, or other mental / psychological health condition, Terapiya has a database of specialist consultants / psychologists to help you manage these conditions and ailments and improve your coping skills.