Question

Define “muscle dysmorphia”. Compare the behaviors associated with muscle dysmorphia to the behaviors associated with other addictions, such as alcohol or drug abuse. What are some similarities? Differences?

Answer 1

Muscle dysmorphia is formally defined as “a pathologic preoccupation with muscularity and leanness. MDM involves a specific dissatisfaction with muscularity rather than the body as a whole with a discrepancy between the imagined and actual self.”

The term 'muscle dysmorphia' was coined in 1997 to describe this new form of disorder. Other people refer to the condition as 'reverse anorexia', and now more commonly 'bigorexia'. The causes are not known but two key ideas revolve around bigorexia as a form of obsessive compulsive behavior and secondly, the effect of the media putting the same type of pressure on men to conform to an ideal shape as has been the case with women for years.

we might want to explore the idea that obsessions about body image might reflect a heterogeneous pathophysiology. Some individuals with muscle dysmorphia might be more similar to those with addictions, while others might be more similar to those with obsessive compulsive disorder or body dysmorphic disorder. The notion of muscle dysmoprhia as an addiction, although heuristically appealing, remains speculative and requires additional studies to examine its validity and appropriateness.

Individuals with muscle dysmorphia experience obsessions and compulsions.They may obsess about being insufficiently muscular, when in fact they are not.Often, sufferers have large muscles. Compulsions can include spending lots of
time in the gym to train the muscles or spending a vast amount of money on supplements. In some cases, individuals may also display disordered eating patterns and substance abuse (namely steroids). Muscle dysmorphia can have a
massive impact on a sufferer’s life, and is commonly associated with significant levels of depression and anxiety.

an individual must present with the following symptoms to classify for a diagnosis of muscle dysmorphia:
• The individual is preoccupied with their body image
• The individual holds the idea that their body build is too small or insufficiently muscular
• The individual excessively engages in activities to increase their muscularity, e.g. diet restriction, over exercise or injection of growth enhancing drugs such as steroids
• The individual spends a minimum of 3 hours per day pondering increased muscularity
• The individual engages in behaviours to camouflage their body such as wearing multiple layers of clothing to appear bigger
• The individual’s occupational and social functioning is impaired.
Evidently, the above symptoms can have a significant impact on a sufferer’s life. Many individuals with muscle dysmorphia spend multiple hours training in the gym to increase their muscle size. They can experience feelings of panic if they are unable to attend a gym session or they may go to extreme lengths to increase their body build. For example, they may train whilst injured or prioritise working out over their family and social life.
These signs of muscle dysmorphia can cause significant distress for the individual. They may spend many hours compulsively comparing their physique to others or spending several hours in the mirror assessing their physique. Often, individuals who experience muscle dysmorphia can have other body concerns, such as their hair, skin or external genitalia size.

On the other hand, In the Alcoholism and drug abuse the behavioral signs involve a person’s outward relations with the world whereas physical signs relate to the body’s manifestation of side effects due to the presence of drugs in the system. Behavioral signs include but are not limited to:

OBSESSIVE THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS:

Acquiring and using the drug become the main priorities of life while all or most other obligations including work, family, or school are sidelined.

DISREGARD OF HARM CAUSED:

Although the drug abuse is causing physical and mental distress to the individual and their loved ones, the person struggling with addiction continues using drugs or alcohol.

LOSS OF CONTROL:

Even in the face of wanting to stop or reduce their drug use, the person cannot do so.

DENIAL OF ADDICTION OR HIDING DRUG USE:

When confronted, the person battling addiction will deny or downplay their drug use. To avoid having to explain themselves to others, the person may do drugs in secret.

Drug abuse cannot remain hidden for long. Its impact is too dramatic, and the person using drugs can spiral out of control fast. Changes in behavior, neglecting responsibilities, exhausting financial resources, and engaging in criminal conduct are some of the most obvious signals of a drug problem. Family members, loved ones, and coworkers are usually in the best position to recognize a drug problem as they are familiar with the person’s behavior and habits.

Physical Signs

Physical signs of addiction can manifest as side effects of use, during an overdose, or as a result of withdrawal. It may be very difficult for someone to pinpoint the cause of the physical signs, but severe effects will require immediate medical treatment. Also, it is important to understand that withdrawal symptoms arise when the body adjusts to the absence of familiar quantities of a drug. It is a natural process, but withdrawal can be dangerous.

General physical signs of addiction include but are not limited to:

• Enlarged or small pupils
• Sudden weight loss or gain
• Bloodshot eyes
• Insomnia
• Unusual body odors
• Poor physical coordination
• Looking unkempt
• Slurred speech

Typical signs of an overdose may include but are not limited to:

• Drowsiness or trouble walking
• Agitation
• Aggression or violent behavior
• Difficulty breathing
• Nausea and vomiting
• Hallucinations
• Delusions
• Loss of consciousness

MUSCLE DYSMORPHIA VS ALCOHOL/ DRUG ABUSE

Depending on the actual compound, drug abuse including alcohol may lead to health problems, social problems, morbidity, injuries, unprotected sex, violence, deaths, motor vehicle accidents, homicides, suicides, physical dependence or psychological addiction. Although body dissatisfaction has been found in males as young as age six, muscle dysmorphia's onset is estimated at usually between ages 18 and 20. According to American psychiatry's DSM-5, muscle dysmorphia is indicated by the diagnostic criteria for body dysmorphic disorder via "the idea that his or her body build is too small or insufficiently muscular", and this specifier holds even if the individual is preoccupied with other body areas, too, as is often the case.

Psychologists have identified further clinical features of muscle dysmorphia, such as excess engagement in activities to increase muscularity, activities such as dietary restriction, over-exercise, and injection of growth-enhancing drugs. Persons experiencing muscle dysmorphia generally spend over three hours daily pondering increased muscularity, and feel unable to limit their weightlifting activities. As in anorexia nervosa, the reverse quest in muscle dysmorphia can be insatiable. They closely monitor their bodies and camouflage by wearing multiple clothing layers to appear larger. There is a high rate of suicide in alcoholics and other drug abusers. The reasons believed to cause the increased risk of suicide include the long-term abuse of alcohol and other drugs causing physiological distortion of brain chemistry as well as the social isolation. Another factor is the acute intoxicating effects of the drugs may make suicide more likely to occur. Suicide is also very common in adolescent alcohol abusers, with 1 in 4 suicides in adolescents being related to alcohol abuse. In the US, approximately 30% of suicides are related to alcohol abuse. Alcohol abuse is also associated with increased risks of committing criminal offences including child abuse, domestic violence, rapes, burglaries and assaults.

Muscle dysmorphia involves severe distress at having one's body viewed by others. Occupational and social functioning are impaired, and dietary regimes may interfere. Patients often avoid activities, people, and places to conceal their perceived deficiency of size or muscularity.Roughly half of patients have poor or no insight that these perceptions are unrealistic. Patient histories reveal elevated rates of diagnoses of other mental disorders, including eating disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and substance use disorder, as well as elevated rates of suicide attempts. Drug abuse, including alcohol and prescription drugs, can induce symptomatology which resembles mental illness. This can occur both in the intoxicated state and also during the withdrawal state. In some cases these substance induced psychiatric disorders can persist long after detoxification, such as prolonged psychosis or depression after amphetamine or cocaine abuse. A protracted withdrawal syndrome can also occur with symptoms persisting for months after cessation of use. Benzodiazepines are the most notable drug for inducing prolonged withdrawal effects with symptoms sometimes persisting for years after cessation of use. Both alcohol, barbiturate as well as benzodiazepine withdrawal can potentially be fatal. Abuse of hallucinogens can trigger delusional and other psychotic phenomena long after cessation of use. Cannabis may trigger panic attacks during intoxication and with continued use, it may cause a state similar to dysthymia. Researchers have found that daily cannabis use and the use of high-potency cannabis are independently associated with a higher chance of developing schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Severe anxiety and depression are commonly induced by sustained alcohol abuse, which in most cases abates with prolonged abstinence. Even sustained moderate alcohol use may increase anxiety and depression levels in some individuals. In most cases these drug induced psychiatric disorders fade away with prolonged abstinence.

Answer 2

Addictions are completely different from Disorders.

Muscle dysmorphia is a mental disorder. where as alcohol or drug abuse are addictions for a pleasure feeling.

Muscle dysmorphia: It is a obsessive mental disorder and comes under classification of eating disorders. It is a kind of delusional belief that one's own body is too small or insufficiently lean. It affects mostly males and sports men. It is likely caused by an interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors.

Mental and addictions are often found together. People experiencing addictions are likely to suffer mood and anxiety disorders. Sometimes, drug abuse causes the mental illness and mental illness leads to abuse.

Similarities:

1. The fundamental similarity between drug addiction and mental health disorders is that the same parts of the brain are responsible for both reactions.

2. There are brain circuits that are tied to both dopamine reward processes and stress responses. Both are considered as developmental disorders.

3. Escalation in frequency over time.

4. Sacrificing other interests to spend more time on an addictive substance.

5. Inability to stop a destructive behavior inspite of repeated attempts

6. Continued use of a substance even though negative consequences are happening.

Behaviours: Behaviours might be same. those can be anxiety, depression, attention deficit, hyperactivity posttraumatic stress, drowsy, hopeless etc.

Differences: Addicts can severe their relationship with drugs and alcohol. In contrast, people with eating disorders cannot abstain from food. Instead, they have a healthy relationship with food.

The self-evaluation is very dependent on their weight and appearance in eating disordered people. On other hand, people without eating disorders would like to lose weight.

https://elevatedbilling.com/mental-illness-addiction-similarities/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/real-healing/201511/when-eating-disorders-and-drug-addiction-collide

Answer 3

Definition:- "Muscle dysmorphia is a type of obsessive compulsive disorder characterized by having inferiority complex of being less muscular leading to compulsive exercise and consuming anabolic steroids."

It is also known as "bigorexia" or "reverse anorexia". we can say that muscle dysmorphia is an " Addiction of Body Image".

In muscle dysmorphia person is having addiction to maintain body image by doing number of different activities such as:

• Exercise
• Eating food
• Bodybuilding
• Taking food supplements
• Buying unnecessary food
• Taking steroids
• Purchasing physical exercise accessories

Drug or alcohol addiction strats with repetitive taking of alcoholic drinks or other drugs. This is progressive which will later exhibit a higher tolerance, frequently engage in the behaviour and experience intense cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Behavioral signs of addiction are:

• Missing important activities
• Missing work or school
• Work or school problems
• Isolation
• Legal problems
• Relationship or marital problems
• Financial problems
• Disturbed sleep patterns
• Irritability
• Loss of control

Both muscle dysmorphia and other addictions are relatively common but person cannot be differentiated from the normal one. In both the cases person is not in a condition to listen to anyone else.

 

Answer 4

Muscle dysmorphia (MD) describes a condition characterised by a misconstrued body image in which individuals who interpret their body size as both small or weak even though they may look normal or highly muscular.

Individuals with MD perceive themselves as small and weak even if they look normal or very muscular. As a consequence, individuals with MD engage in behaviours aimed at achieving the desired lean and muscular physique; these behaviours are compulsive and are comprised of excessive exercise and rigid diet, excessive use of dietary supplements and, sometimes, may also include the use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS).Individuals with MD frequently avoid important social or occupational activities because of the compulsive need to maintain their excessive exercise and rigid diet.

On other hand Individuals with alcoholism often feel as though they cannot function normally without alcohol. This can lead to a wide range of issues and impact professional goals, personal matters, relationships and overall health. Over time, the serious side effects of consistent alcohol abuse can worsen and produce damaging complications.

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/body-dysmorphic-disorder-bdd/#.XFxD8lUzbIU for more MD.

Answer 5

Muscle dysmorphia is formally defined as “a pathologic preoccupation with muscularity and leanness. MDM involves a specific dissatisfaction with muscularity rather than the body as a whole with a discrepancy between the imagined and actual self.”

The term 'muscle dysmorphia' was coined in 1997 to describe this new form of disorder. Other people refer to the condition as 'reverse anorexia', and now more commonly 'bigorexia'. The causes are not known but two key ideas revolve around bigorexia as a form of obsessive compulsive behavior and secondly, the effect of the media putting the same type of pressure on men to conform to an ideal shape as has been the case with women for years.

we might want to explore the idea that obsessions about body image might reflect a heterogeneous pathophysiology. Some individuals with muscle dysmorphia might be more similar to those with addictions, while others might be more similar to those with obsessive compulsive disorder or body dysmorphic disorder. The notion of muscle dysmoprhia as an addiction, although heuristically appealing, remains speculative and requires additional studies to examine its validity and appropriateness.

Individuals with muscle dysmorphia experience obsessions and compulsions.They may obsess about being insufficiently muscular, when in fact they are not.Often, sufferers have large muscles. Compulsions can include spending lots of
time in the gym to train the muscles or spending a vast amount of money on supplements. In some cases, individuals may also display disordered eating patterns and substance abuse (namely steroids). Muscle dysmorphia can have a
massive impact on a sufferer’s life, and is commonly associated with significant levels of depression and anxiety.

an individual must present with the following symptoms to classify for a diagnosis of muscle dysmorphia:
• The individual is preoccupied with their body image
• The individual holds the idea that their body build is too small or insufficiently muscular
• The individual excessively engages in activities to increase their muscularity, e.g. diet restriction, over exercise or injection of growth enhancing drugs such as steroids
• The individual spends a minimum of 3 hours per day pondering increased muscularity
• The individual engages in behaviours to camouflage their body such as wearing multiple layers of clothing to appear bigger
• The individual’s occupational and social functioning is impaired.
Evidently, the above symptoms can have a significant impact on a sufferer’s life. Many individuals with muscle dysmorphia spend multiple hours training in the gym to increase their muscle size. They can experience feelings of panic if they are unable to attend a gym session or they may go to extreme lengths to increase their body build. For example, they may train whilst injured or prioritise working out over their family and social life.
These signs of muscle dysmorphia can cause significant distress for the individual. They may spend many hours compulsively comparing their physique to others or spending several hours in the mirror assessing their physique. Often, individuals who experience muscle dysmorphia can have other body concerns, such as their hair, skin or external genitalia size.

On the other hand, In the Alcoholism and drug abuse the behavioral signs involve a person’s outward relations with the world whereas physical signs relate to the body’s manifestation of side effects due to the presence of drugs in the system. Behavioral signs include but are not limited to:

OBSESSIVE THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS:

Acquiring and using the drug become the main priorities of life while all or most other obligations including work, family, or school are sidelined.

DISREGARD OF HARM CAUSED:

Although the drug abuse is causing physical and mental distress to the individual and their loved ones, the person struggling with addiction continues using drugs or alcohol.

LOSS OF CONTROL:

Even in the face of wanting to stop or reduce their drug use, the person cannot do so.

DENIAL OF ADDICTION OR HIDING DRUG USE:

When confronted, the person battling addiction will deny or downplay their drug use. To avoid having to explain themselves to others, the person may do drugs in secret.

Drug abuse cannot remain hidden for long. Its impact is too dramatic, and the person using drugs can spiral out of control fast. Changes in behavior, neglecting responsibilities, exhausting financial resources, and engaging in criminal conduct are some of the most obvious signals of a drug problem. Family members, loved ones, and coworkers are usually in the best position to recognize a drug problem as they are familiar with the person’s behavior and habits.

Physical Signs

Physical signs of addiction can manifest as side effects of use, during an overdose, or as a result of withdrawal. It may be very difficult for someone to pinpoint the cause of the physical signs, but severe effects will require immediate medical treatment. Also, it is important to understand that withdrawal symptoms arise when the body adjusts to the absence of familiar quantities of a drug. It is a natural process, but withdrawal can be dangerous.

General physical signs of addiction include but are not limited to:

• Enlarged or small pupils
• Sudden weight loss or gain
• Bloodshot eyes
• Insomnia
• Unusual body odors
• Poor physical coordination
• Looking unkempt
• Slurred speech

Typical signs of an overdose may include but are not limited to:

• Drowsiness or trouble walking
• Agitation
• Aggression or violent behavior
• Difficulty breathing
• Nausea and vomiting
• Hallucinations
• Delusions
• Loss of consciousness

MUSCLE DYSMORPHIA VS ALCOHOL/ DRUG ABUSE

Depending on the actual compound, drug abuse including alcohol may lead to health problems, social problems, morbidity, injuries, unprotected sex, violence, deaths, motor vehicle accidents, homicides, suicides, physical dependence or psychological addiction. Although body dissatisfaction has been found in males as young as age six, muscle dysmorphia's onset is estimated at usually between ages 18 and 20. According to American psychiatry's DSM-5, muscle dysmorphia is indicated by the diagnostic criteria for body dysmorphic disorder via "the idea that his or her body build is too small or insufficiently muscular", and this specifier holds even if the individual is preoccupied with other body areas, too, as is often the case.

Psychologists have identified further clinical features of muscle dysmorphia, such as excess engagement in activities to increase muscularity, activities such as dietary restriction, over-exercise, and injection of growth-enhancing drugs. Persons experiencing muscle dysmorphia generally spend over three hours daily pondering increased muscularity, and feel unable to limit their weightlifting activities. As in anorexia nervosa, the reverse quest in muscle dysmorphia can be insatiable. They closely monitor their bodies and camouflage by wearing multiple clothing layers to appear larger. There is a high rate of suicide in alcoholics and other drug abusers. The reasons believed to cause the increased risk of suicide include the long-term abuse of alcohol and other drugs causing physiological distortion of brain chemistry as well as the social isolation. Another factor is the acute intoxicating effects of the drugs may make suicide more likely to occur. Suicide is also very common in adolescent alcohol abusers, with 1 in 4 suicides in adolescents being related to alcohol abuse. In the US, approximately 30% of suicides are related to alcohol abuse. Alcohol abuse is also associated with increased risks of committing criminal offences including child abuse, domestic violence, rapes, burglaries and assaults.

Muscle dysmorphia involves severe distress at having one's body viewed by others. Occupational and social functioning are impaired, and dietary regimes may interfere. Patients often avoid activities, people, and places to conceal their perceived deficiency of size or muscularity.Roughly half of patients have poor or no insight that these perceptions are unrealistic. Patient histories reveal elevated rates of diagnoses of other mental disorders, including eating disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and substance use disorder, as well as elevated rates of suicide attempts. Drug abuse, including alcohol and prescription drugs, can induce symptomatology which resembles mental illness. This can occur both in the intoxicated state and also during the withdrawal state. In some cases these substance induced psychiatric disorders can persist long after detoxification, such as prolonged psychosis or depression after amphetamine or cocaine abuse. A protracted withdrawal syndrome can also occur with symptoms persisting for months after cessation of use. Benzodiazepines are the most notable drug for inducing prolonged withdrawal effects with symptoms sometimes persisting for years after cessation of use. Both alcohol, barbiturate as well as benzodiazepine withdrawal can potentially be fatal. Abuse of hallucinogens can trigger delusional and other psychotic phenomena long after cessation of use. Cannabis may trigger panic attacks during intoxication and with continued use, it may cause a state similar to dysthymia. Researchers have found that daily cannabis use and the use of high-potency cannabis are independently associated with a higher chance of developing schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. Severe anxiety and depression are commonly induced by sustained alcohol abuse, which in most cases abates with prolonged abstinence. Even sustained moderate alcohol use may increase anxiety and depression levels in some individuals. In most cases these drug induced psychiatric disorders fade away with prolonged abstinence.

Answer 6

It is a kind of behavioural addiction . Muscle dysmorphia is a psychopathologic condition where men is concern about anything related to their body image. It's a form of compulsive disorder and here the obsession is body and its framework more specifically muscularity and leanness. Muscle dismorphia is subcategorized as body dismorphic disorder.

The diagnostic criteria is as follows to recognize the disorder:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1323298/

Similarities:

• In both cases people are addictive
• In both cases feels week and moving towards other drugs to feel themselves calm happy and strong
• both needed medical management

Differnces:

• alcohol abuse or drug abuse can be recognized but MDD can not be easily recognized because this is kind of routine to look muscular having good body framework
• alcohol abuse can be treated by rehabilation while MDD can not as person with MDD can be live without workout even for a single day.

Link : https://www.dualdiagnosis.org/mental-health-and-addiction/muscle-dysmorphia/