Читать книгу Anxiety Toolbox: The Complete Fear-Free Plan - Gloria Thomas - Страница 38

It isn’t just women who are anxious and preoccupied with their appearance. A study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine claimed that, with the increased acceptance of physical exercise as a desirable activity, men are generally only motivated to exercise to improve their physical appearance rather than their health. A common anxiety for men is being puny and this can develop into muscle dysmorphophobia. This dissatisfaction with the body leads to frequent workouts in the gym in order to achieve a more ‘masculine’ size and shape. However, although the individual may become highly muscular, they still see themselves as puny. When they feel that they can no longer develop, steroids are taken to boost physique. Other common male concerns are about penis size and receding hairlines.

BDD can take over an individual’s life to the extent that they become self-loathing, living in torment that others will notice their ‘flaws’. This makes them more susceptible to developing other disorders, such as OCD, depression and social phobias, and as a result such people can completely isolate themselves in order to avoid anyone seeing their perceived deformity. They believe that true happiness and self-esteem can only be possible if they change their defect. This anxiety disorder is considered delusional, as it is often only the person who is suffering that is aware of the defect – although they are convinced that it is obvious to others too.