Define “muscle dysmorphia”. Compare the behaviors associated with muscle dysmorphia to the behaviors associated with...

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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?

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Muscle dysmorphia is formally defined as a pathologicpreoccupation with muscularity and leanness MDM involves aspecific dissatisfaction with muscularity rather than the body as awhole with a discrepancy between the imagined and actual selfThe term muscle dysmorphia was coined in 1997 to describe thisnew form of disorder Other people refer to the condition asreverse anorexia and now more commonly bigorexia The causesare not known but two key ideas revolve around bigorexia as a formof obsessive compulsive behavior and secondly the effect of themedia putting the same type of pressure on men to conform to anideal shape as has been the case with women for yearswe might want to explore the idea that obsessions about bodyimage might reflect a heterogeneous pathophysiology Someindividuals with muscle dysmorphia might be more similar to thosewith addictions while others might be more similar to those withobsessive compulsive disorder or body dysmorphic disorder Thenotion of muscle dysmoprhia as an addiction although heuristicallyappealing remains speculative and requires additional studies toexamine its validity and appropriatenessIndividuals with muscle dysmorphia experience obsessions andcompulsionsThey may obsess about being insufficiently muscularwhen in fact they are notOften sufferers have large musclesCompulsions can include spending lots oftime in the gym to train the muscles or spending a vast amount ofmoney on supplements In some cases individuals may also displaydisordered eating patterns and substance abuse namely steroidsMuscle dysmorphia can have amassive impact on a sufferers life and is commonly associatedwith significant levels of depression and anxietyan individual must present with the following symptoms toclassify for a diagnosis of muscle dysmorphia The individual is preoccupied with their body image The individual holds the idea that    See Answer
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