Body Image

Appearance plays a crucial part in our overall sense of self-worth. How you see yourself can be particularly important during adolescence when you begin to build an identity. If we are dissatisfied with how we look this can have a powerful, sometimes detrimental impact on our self-esteem and self-confidence.

Symptoms of low body image can include having a distorted view of how you look; changes in eating patterns and leanings towards eating disorders; being highly critical of yourself; having high self-doubt or blaming yourself if things go wrong; finding it hard to accept compliments; feeling depressed, anxious, and frustrated.

These thoughts and feelings can make life more difficult and people can become consumed with their appearance and obsessed with trying to change the way they look.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

BDD is a body-image disorder characterised by obsessive preoccupations with an imagined or slight defect in one’s appearance. People who have BDD think about their real or perceived flaws for hours each day.

Their negative thoughts may cause severe emotional distress and interfere with their daily lives, causing them miss work or school, or avoid social situations.

BDD sufferers may even undergo unnecessary plastic surgery to correct perceived imperfections, sadly rarely finding satisfaction with the results.

The causes of BDD are unclear, but certain biological and environmental factors may contribute to its development, as well as personality traits, and life experiences.

BDD sufferers may perform some types of compulsive or repetitive behavior, such as:

• camouflaging (with body position, clothing, makeup, hair, hats, etc.)
• comparing body part to others’ appearance
• seeking surgery
• checking in a mirror
• avoiding mirrors
• skin picking
• excessive grooming
• excessive exercise
• changing clothes excessively

Treatment For BDD

There are any effective treatments available to help BDD sufferers live full, productive lives and encourage a higher sense of self-esteem and a more positive body image.

Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is often utilised, and sometimes antidepressant medications are prescribed to help relieve the obsessive and compulsive symptoms of BDD.

Body Image & Eating Disorders

A person with an eating disorder may suffer with poor body image, focusing excessively on their weight and shape, or how other people see them, leading them to make unhealthy, detrimental choices about food. The results are often damaging to their health.

Eating disorders and poor body image are often blamed on the social pressure to be thin, as young people in particular feel they should look a certain way. However, the causes are usually more complex.

Examples of eating disorders include:

• Anorexia Nervosa – a potentially life-threatening psychological disorder characterised by either a significantly reduced appetite or complete aversion to eating.
• Bulimia Nervosa – a serious psychiatric illness where the person regularly binge-eats and then tries to compensate for that behavior by over-exercising and purging (by vomiting and/or using laxatives).
• Binge Eating Disorder – is characterised by compulsive overeating where the person consumes huge amounts of food while feeling out of control and powerless to stop.
• Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) – sufferers may have many of the symptoms of other eating disorders such as Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa, but will not meet the full criteria for diagnosis of these disorders. People with EDNOS commonly have extremely disturbed eating habits, a distorted body image and an intense fear of gaining weight.

Treatment For Eating Disorders

If eating disorders are left untreated, they can have an extremely negative impact on someone’s personal and professional life, as well as on their relationships with family and friends. The physical effects of an eating disorder can cause permanent long-term health problems, and can sometimes be fatal.

Recovering from an eating disorder can take a long time and it is important for the person affected to want to get better. The support and understanding of family and friends is crucial in the recovery stage and beyond.

Treatment usually involves monitoring a person’s physical health while helping them to deal with the underlying psychological causes. Self-help manuals, books, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), various types of counselling, and family group therapy may all be offered under the guidance of a therapist or other healthcare professional. Sometimes medication is also offered.

There is a wide range of healthcare services, support groups, dedicated advice centres and websites that can help with body images issues and eating disorders. See the “Useful Links” section below for more information.

Links

• Do Something – Body Image
• Women’s Health – Body Image
• Centre for Young Women’s Health – Self-esteem and Body Image
• Body Gossip – positive body image
• Be Real Campaign – Body Confidence
• Eating Disorder Hope – Body Image
• ADAA – Understanding BDD
• The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA)
• National Institute of Mental Health eating disorders advice
• Eating Disorders Support UK
• Anorexia and Bulimia Care UK
• National Centre for Eating Disorders UK
• NHS eating disorders advice
• Beat – beating eating disorders UK