A psychological disorder known as bigorexia, or muscle dysmorphia, leads people to obsess over “not being muscular enough.” Bigorexics might believe they are weak or small even with a well-developed body. The impaired body image would normally drive individuals to overeat, adopt erratic exercise patterns, and abuse steroids or supplements. It is necessary to understand what bigorexia is, particularly with the fitness culture community becoming more sensitive to mental illness. Although bigorexia typically affects men, it also affects women.
People with bigorexia typically experience anxiety and depression and/or conceal their condition because it can significantly impact relationships, day-to-day functioning, and mental and physical health. Most likely, they will conceal their problem because of shame or fear of judgment. Because they believe they must be exercising or at the gym, people may find it difficult to concentrate on other things like work or social functions. People aware of some of the warning signs in advance are more likely to seek appropriate care and prevent additional long-term consequences.
Overview — Bigorexia
Being fit is only a component of bigorexia definition – this term comes from the word “big”, a person who has this body dysmorphic disorder becomes preoccupied with developing muscular bulk. Having a healthy bodybuilding and fitness routine is good. However, they become bigorexia if they are obsessive and begin to impact everyday functioning. No matter how much muscle they develop or how much their physique changes, they are trapped in this vicious circle of discontent in such a condition.
Trying to speed up the effect, bigorexic individuals typically turn to rigorous exercise regimens, eat plenty of protein foods, and, in the worst-case scenario, use anabolic steroids. They still believe they are not “big” enough even after achieving the anticipated outcomes. This can promote mood swings, low self-confidence, a relentless inner struggle with self-worth, and the eventual withdrawal from society. Because the symptoms are considered to be commendable within the bodybuilding community, the illness goes undiagnosed.
There needs to be a distinction made between obsessive behavior and having normal, respectable fitness goals. Bigorexia has a distorted view of your body and believes that any improvement is never good enough, but most people would agree that it’s okay to have to alter your appearance. It would be easier to understand real-life experiences, dispel myths about bigorexia disorder, and encourage people to overcome their problems.
Risk Factors of Bigorexia
Being muscular is the focus of the person who has this body dysmorphic disorder. Physical health is just one aspect of what is bigorexia disorder. Fitness is wonderful, and a successful bodybuilding regimen is great, but only if it is so obsessive that it interferes with the activities of daily living that it reaches the level of bigorexia. These individuals may fall into a trap of never being content, regardless of how much muscle they gain or how much their appearance changes. Let’s look at a table summarizing the major risk factors:
| Risk factor | Description |
| Genetic predisposition | Risk may be increased by a family history of mental illness. This may be disorders like obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, or anxiety. |
| Personality traits | Low self-esteem, obsession, and perfectionism. Body image distortions and obsessive behavior towards exercise may be fueled by these tendencies. |
| Social media influence | Will to have an Instagram or TikTok ideal body. Social comparison with others on social media can exacerbate one’s view of their own body. |
| Peer pressure | Anxiety can also be caused by peer pressure to achieve and exceed unrealistic expectations, whether from the gym community or other fitness enthusiasts. |
| Anabolic steroid exposure | Being in the steroid culture can create a false sense of increased value with more muscle, and bodybuilding drugs can enable a distorted body image. |
Individuals and professionals will be able to spot the early warning signs if they are aware of what these threats are. One of the most terrifying things about what is bigorexia in men is that it is difficult to detect. Men are less likely to ask for help for mental issues than women, particularly if it has to do with body image.
Symptoms of Bigorexia
Early treatment and diagnosis of bigorexia will be made easier by the detection of its symptoms. Symptoms can present themselves as physical reactions or as psychological inclinations. Despite all evidence to the contrary, some will believe they are too small or lack adequate muscle. Others will be exercising or weightlifting daily, typically very frequently all at once, without concern for recovery time, neglecting other aspects of their lives. The most common symptoms include, for instance:
- Hyperfixation
One of the most obvious bigorexia symptoms is obsession with muscle size, symmetry, and strength nearly every day, which takes away from other activities. If you miss a workout, you will feel irritable and anxious about this.
- Overtraining
Weight lifting for extended periods without any concern for rest and recovery time. Missing a workout fills a person with feelings of guilt and anxiety. When they get injured, people forget to go to the gym.
- Too restrictive diets
Bring strict, typically harmful, and unnatural dietary practices with them. Extremely high-protein diets are common, and people will try to modify their diets wherever they can to avoid gaining or losing unwanted muscle. Eating and dietary practices can lead to social withdrawal.
- Steroid use
Using anabolic steroids or other supplements without a doctor’s prescription in an attempt to gain muscle rapidly, no matter what the risks might be. Standards are disregarded as possible negative impacts.
- Looking at the body
Standing in front of the mirror constantly or comparing yourself with others, for instance, through selfies. This creates a negative view of yourself. Usually, people do this through social media, as with dieting.
The ‘ideal body’ has seeped so deeply into people’s lives that it influences their psychological and emotional state. They even begin to withdraw from their family and friends so that they have nothing else but their training to focus on.
Treatments for Bigorexia
The good news is that there are treatments for bigorexia. As with other analogous, associated body dysmorphic disorders, it is generally treated with a mix of psychosocial and pharmacological treatments.
- Psychological treatment
Psychological therapy is generally the initial course of bigorexia treatment. The use of cognitive behavioral therapy has been particularly useful. Through cognitive behavioral therapy, individuals can identify their distorted thinking and substitute it with more logical thinking.
- Pharmacological treatment
If the condition is more severe, a prescription of medication, such as antidepressants, may be given to reduce some depression and anxiety (particularly if there are also co-existing anxiety or depression problems). A support network, such as friends, family, or gym instructors who encourage a healthy lifestyle, is also necessary. The key to recovery is to treat the root cause of bigorexia and not its symptoms.
- Teaching about bigorexia
A key aspect of the preventative model is education. By teaching people about bigorexia, we can reverse the stigma and serve to assist people who are likely to be suffering. We must be sensitive towards these individuals since they will be humiliated by their sickness and work to internalize accepted stigma. Bodybuilders or fitness clubs can act as positive role models for new and healthy body ideals that are fluid.
Unfortunately, recovery does not happen overnight. The first step towards recovery, or the unintended journey of improvement, is to learn to love your body’s functional qualities rather than just its looks. After that obstacle has been surpassed, people can start to develop a healthy self-image and establish realistic fitness-based goals.
Conclusion
Summarizing this article about what is bigorexia, we can say that it’s an extreme mental disorder beyond a healthy obsession with bodybuilding or working out. It warps people’s views of themselves and, in extreme instances, produces appalling behaviors. In this era of social media, unattainable fantasies of a “fit body” and fitness culture, this disease has spread more than ever, particularly among males.
We can assist in the creation of a healthy atmosphere for those who suffer from bigorexia by enhancing awareness of its symptoms, danger factors, and treatment. The earlier it is intervened upon, the higher the chances are that it can be successfully eliminated. Education and awareness enable you to assist someone in need or speak for someone unable to, whether you’re a friend, trainer, or gym member. Seek assistance if you believe that you or a relative could be suffering from this condition.
Regardless of how healthy and toned a person may appear on the outside, mental health is important. When fighting against bigorexia disorder and in developing a healthier, more positive body image and relationship with fitness, knowledge and information are our best friends.
Leave a comment