Body dysmorphic disorder

“Imagined ugliness”

By: Nyakallo Tefu

Do you ever look in the mirror and all you see are imperfections? Your eyes are too small, your forehead is too big and your ears are sticking out too much? According to (Barlow and Durand, 2012:186), most people fantasize about improving something, but some relatively normal-looking people think they are so ugly they refuse to interact with others or otherwise function normally for fear that people will laugh at their ugliness. This curious affliction is called “Body dysmorphic disorder” which is also referred to as “imagined ugliness”.

We all have an image in our head of so-called “perfection” and that so-called “perfection” affects our self-esteem hence we feel the need to change our physical appearance. “It is natural for someone to have a low self-esteem and dislike their appearance or an aspect of their body. For example women may wish they had longer legs or men will want toned arms. Body dysmorphic disorder however is a type of mental illness that causes the sufferer to obsess over a specific flaw in their appearance” (Clinic, 2010).

At times we ignore such things, but I mean how would you know if you have never encountered such, if you don’t even know that such disorders exist? According to (Challis, 2013) symptoms include:

• ·         preoccupation with one’s physical appearance,
• ·        excessive use of makeup
• ·         refusal to pose for photographs
• ·         constant comparison of self to others

Take a look at most celebrities lately, they are so obsessed with portraying a perfect image to their fans whereas they resort to plastic surgery. For example Michael Jackson, to us he seemed what we would refer to as “normal”, but clearly he thought otherwise hence he wanted to change the colour of his skin and his nose. “Most common areas of the body that are obsessed about by people with body dysmorphic disorder include nails, hair, skin, complexion, acne, wrinkles, breast size and genitalia” (Clinic, 2010).

This is one of those disorders where you ask yourself “are you serious? Body dysmorphic disorder is seen equally in men and women. Generally there are differences between what they obsess about. Men tend to be more focused on body build and genitals whereas women are more focused on a variety of body parts and women are more likely to suffer from an eating disorder then men are (Barlow & Durand, 2012).

As humans, we need to learn to accept ourselves as we are and remember that no one is perfect. Focusing on our imperfections can eventually lead to distortions about our bodies and going through costly procedures to “fix” what we feel is wrong – procedures which never leave us satisfied anyway. Embrace who you are and your imperfections.

Consulted sources:

·         Barlow, D. H. & Durand, V. M., 2012. Abnormal Psychology: An Intergrative Approach. 6th ed. United States of America: WADSWORTH CENGAGE Learning.

·         Challis, S., 2013. Body dysmorphic disorder. [Online]
Available at:  http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/body-dysmorphic-disorder/#.U_TwJMWSzko
[Accessed 15 August 2014].

·         Clinic, M., 2010. Body Dysmorphic Disorder. [Online]
Available at: http://edition.cnn.com/search/?query=body+dysmorphic+disorder&x=37&y=17&primaryType=mixed
[Accessed 13 August 2014].

Tags:
 Body dysmorphic disorder

imagined ugliness
disorder
Men body dysmorphic disorder
women body dysmorphic disorder