Dysmorphophobia: what is this disease and is it contagious

What is body dysmorphic disorder?

Dysmorphophobia is a mental disorder in which the sick person is extremely concerned about the imperfections of his appearance, tends to look for non-existent defects in himself and build his life around them. A person can constantly compare himself with others, try to correct a deficiency, including with the help of radical interventions - plastic surgery or attempts at self-harm.

In a word, this is a panic fear of looking bad and not living up to some ideals, which keeps you in constant nervous tension. It is dysmorphophobia that causes suicidal thoughts more often than other disorders.

A fictitious or exaggerated external defect prevents the dysmorphophobe from leading a full life, and thoughts about a "defect" take several hours a day.

What are the most often dissatisfied people with body dysmorphic disorder?

According to research, most often people suffering from body dysmorphic disorder are unhappy with the condition of their skin, hair and nose. Weight is in fourth place. Less commonly, patients are dissatisfied with the facial muscles and ankles.

Many of the body dysmorphobes are not limited to one flaw and find several “defects” in themselves.

I don't like my nose. Do I have body dysmorphic disorder?

It depends on how much you dislike some part of your body. If you sometimes think that your nose could be smaller (bigger, straighter, snub-nosed), most likely, body dysmorphic disorder has bypassed you.

If the “wrong” part of your body worries you so much that you avoid mirrors, refuse to leave the house, or get hysterical at the thought of a photo, then perhaps you should see a doctor.

What causes the disease?

There is no exact answer to this question. However, psychiatrists identify factors that can influence the onset of the disorder. The reasons may lie in the abuse of the patient in childhood, his introversion or heredity. The trigger is sometimes mockery of appearance.

Media resources play an important role in the development of dysmorphophobia. Media, advertising, bloggers broadcast their vision of what are considered disadvantages, and what appearance is ideal.

However, in countries where access to media is limited, cases of body dysmorphic disorder are also recorded. So the dominance of photoshopped pictures will become a trigger only in case of a predisposition to the disease.

Dysmorphophobia usually manifests itself in adolescence and occurs with the same frequency among men and women.

How to identify body dysmorphic disorder?

Dysmorphophobia is a disorder included in the International Classification of Diseases, so it should be diagnosed by a specialist - a psychiatrist or psychologist. A potential patient or his loved ones should be alerted by the following symptoms:

a categorical refusal to look in the mirror or be photographed;
the desire to constantly look in the mirror, consider an imaginary flaw;
drug or alcohol abuse;
suicidal intentions;
refusal of social contacts;
fanatical passion for diets, exercise, plastic surgery or other ways to correct "defects".

How is it treated?

Antidepressants have proven to be effective in treating body dysmorphophobia. A psychiatrist prescribes medication and monitors its effectiveness.

Another way is cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, when the doctor works with the patient to work through the logic of his thoughts and eliminates dysfunctional thinking stereotypes.

Can you get dysmorphophobia?

Obviously, you cannot become infected with body dysmorphic disorder, since it is not tolerated by bacteria or viruses. But with concomitant factors, close contact with the patient can cause the manifestation of the disorder.

Even if the constant talk about imaginary ideals and the need to eliminate deficiencies does not cause dysmorphophobia in its clinical sense, it can lead to an obsession with appearance and negatively affect mood and self-esteem.