What is Muscle Dysmorphia?

Muscle dysmorphia, often referred to as bigorexia or reverse anorexia, is a type of body dysmorphic disorder in which a person becomes obsessed with the idea that their body is not muscular or lean enough, even if they are very lean or muscular. It can affect any gender however it is mostly commonly seen in men. Muscle dysmorphia is a disorder in which individuals are preoccupied with the idea that their body is insufficiently large or muscular. This causes significant distress or impairment in functioning, and may lead to excessive exercise, disordered eating, and sometimes use of anabolic steroids. These types of conditions usually originate in adolescence and yet often remain untreated until adulthood, if at all. Professional help is often sought, but in aesthetics as opposed to professional mental health support. These attempts for help are often to treat the symptoms, as opposed to the underlying cause. Depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder are frequently reported and a high rate of suicide attempts. The condition is treatable and NICE recommends CBT.

Veale, D., Willson, R. & Clarke, A., 2009. Overcoming Body Image Problems (including Body Dysmorphic Disorder). London: Constable Robinson