According to several studies, the cases of dysmorphia in the world have increased due to the importance we give to the image. Kim Kardashian, who was one of the first celebrities to introduce a new curvier body type among celebrities, has admitted that she suffers from this disorder. She has confessed it in one of the episodes of the reality show ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ in allusion to the damaging criticism she received for some photos in a bikini that showed cellulite. We tell you what the dysmorphia suffered by Kim Kardashian is.
We tell you what dysmorphia is
According to the British National Health Service (NHS), body dysmorphia or dysmorphic disorder causes the person who suffers from it to have a distorted vision of their appearance. As a result, you spend a lot of time worrying about how you look. For example, an affected person might think that his nose is larger than normal and that people don’t stop staring at it, or that his legs are too short, causing them to walk awkwardly.
We all worry to a greater or lesser extent about our physical image and we can feel uncomfortable with some detail of our appearance at a certain moment in our lives, but the key to all this is to know when it becomes a disorder. As the British health system points out, people who suffer from dysmorphia feel a strong anguish that affects them and conditions them in their day-to-day lives. They feel uglier, fatter or more flawed, so the people around them judge them for it. It is important to point out that people who suffer from this disorder are not vain or self-centered, but rather face a self-perception disorder.
Who does dysmorphia affect?
It is very difficult to estimate how many people suffer from this disorder, since it is often described as a problem of insecurity or self-esteem and it is not diagnosed. However, the British health service considers that one in every hundred people in the United Kingdom could suffer from it.
According to their data, it affects men and women in a similar way. This disorder can occur at any time in life, but it is common for it to appear in adolescence or youth. On the other hand, those people who have suffered from depression or some type of social phobia are more prone to dysmorphia. This can occur along with other disorders such as obsessive compulsive, anxiety, bulimia or anorexia.
Causes of dysmorphia
The exact causes of this disorder are unknown, but the British NHS suggests that it could be genetic or related to a chemical imbalance in the brain. On the other hand, he adds that past experiences such as abuse or bullying could also be one of its causes.
This is how a person with dysmorphia behaves
The dysmorphia can affect daily life, at work and the relationships that each one maintains. The British health service thus describes the behavior that people with dysmorphia could have.
- They tend to constantly compare themselves in the appearance of the people around them and pay close attention to how they are seen.
- They spend a lot of time in front of the mirror, but at other times they also try to avoid them at all costs.
- They spend a lot of time and effort trying to hide what they consider to be their flaws. In some cases, they even undergo some type of surgery to eliminate the defect, but they are almost never completely satisfied with the result.
- They become anxious and obsessed with a specific part of their body. It is common for it to be with the face since it is the most visible part.
- For fear of being judged, they feel anxious about certain social situations that they try to avoid.
- They may develop some repetitive behaviors such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, such as constantly looking in the mirror or excessive grooming.
- In some cases, they do too much sport and have a very poor diet.
- Dysmorphia can also lead to depression and self-harm.
Dysmorphia treatment
People with dysmorphia often don’t ask for help because they feel ashamed of their condition. In addition, it is common for them to be afraid that society will judge them as vain and superficial people. However, it is very important that they receive some kind of support, otherwise the symptoms are likely to get worse.
The British Health Service explains that when a person who thinks they may appear to be dysmorphic goes to the doctor, the doctor may ask questions such as:
+Do you care a lot about your appearance and would you like to think less about it?
+What specific concerns do you have about your appearance?
+On a normal day, how much time do you spend thinking about your appearance?
+What effect do these thoughts have on your daily life?
+Is it harder for you to do your job or be with your friends?
It may be interesting that you ask yourself these questions to find out if you could suffer from dysmorphia. If you have someone close to you who suffers from it, they need your support and make them see that it is a long-term health condition for which they cannot be blamed.
Dysmorphia treatment can vary greatly depending on the severity of the disorder. In milder cases, your doctor will recommend that you participate in cognitive behavioral therapy. This will try to change the way of thinking and behaving to improve self-esteem. In more complicated cases, the health professional may consider a certain type of medication necessary, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, a type of antidepressant that will increase the level of serotonin in your brain.