What Are 6 Signs of Body Dysmorphia?

It is perfectly natural to have areas of the body that someone would want to change. Practically everyone would fall into this category.

However, for some people, these areas of the body that they wish to change causes huge level of distress. Such people may be diagnosed with Body Dysmorphic Disorder.

Those with this condition obsess over their appearance and will spend copious amount of time trying to improve their appearance. They will commonly avoid social events and will frequently have low mood.

So what are some of the signs of body dysmorphia? In this article, we take a look.

What is Body Dysmorphia?

Body Dysmorphic Disorder: Also known as Body Dysmorphia, this condition is characterised by an individual having intense worries about supposed faults in their appearance. While said faults aren’t normally noticeable to others, they will cause extreme distress to the patient. The individual will commonly go to great measures to try and rectify the apparent problem.

1. Worries extensively about their appearance

One of the clearest signs of Body Dysmorphic Disorder is that someone with this condition will worry extensively about their appearance.

They will normally focus specifically on a certain part of their body. For instance, this may include their thighs, nose, or hair etc.

But irrespective of the part of the body involved, there will be significant worry caused.

2. Compares themselves to others

Another common sign is that a person with Body Dysmorphic Disorder will constantly compare themselves to others.

This is where social media can be damaging, as it becomes very easy to compare yourself with others. This comparison is dangerous though and leads to someone feeling inferior.

3. Tough relationship with a mirror

Someone with Body Dysmorphic Disorder will typically have a difficult relationship with a mirror – though this can go one of two ways.

For some people with Body Dysmorphic Disorder, a common sign is that they look in the mirror a lot – normally at the area of the body that they are insecure over. This can be a time-consuming activity.

However, others with Body Dysmorphic Disorder will avoid mirrors wherever possible. They may be too scarred by their supposed problem that they don’t even want to look at themselves. But this can lead to a neglect in self-care and worsen their state of mind.

4. Avoidance of social events

Such is the distress caused by their appearance, someone with Body Dysmorphic Disorder will often avoid social events wherever possible.

Again, this is linked to the supposed flaw in their body. No matter how many times they are told that people don’t notice such things, they refuse to believe it.

5. Loneliness

Sadly, those with Body Dysmorphic Disorder are often very lonely people. This is a consequence of avoiding social events.

They may struggle to make or keep friends, and may instead rely on the internet to source friends.

6. Self harm

Very tragically, those with Body Dysmorphic Disorder will often engage in self-injury. If someone has unexplained cuts or bruises, then this can be a sign of self-harm.

Approaching this carefully is important. Self-harm is normally a clear sign of mental anguish and is a symptom of many mental health conditions.

Summary

Seeking help for Body Dysmorphia is very important. It is a very debilitating condition to live with.

Treatment is available, with the aim being to see a vast improvement in symptoms and hopefully, improved overall mental wellbeing.

See Also

• Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Section
• Body Dysmorphic Disorder: Information, Symptoms, Treatment and More
• What is a Mental Breakdown? Signs, Symptoms and Information
• Rumination in Mental Health: What Is It and Why Do We Do It?