If your child starts losing too much weight and seems to be eating too little or may be getting rid of her stomach contents after eating, you likely know to be concerned. Unhealthy weight control methods will hit as many as half of our daughters and almost a third of our sons, with a thankfully smaller number reaching the threshold for eating disorder diagnosis.
However, anorexia and bulimia are far from the only ways boy dysmorphia can affect teens, and one that’s commonly overlooked and growing in concern is called bigorexia, or muscle dysphoria.
What Is Bigorexia?
In the same way that a teen with anorexia will have a mental self-image that does not reflect reality, those with muscle dysphoria see themselves as smaller and weaker than they are. They believe they need to exercise and work hard to build the muscle they see as lacking.
While muscle dysphoria has some commonalities with the two best-known eating disorders, it’s actually classified as a form of OCD, according to Newport Academy.
Sufferers tend to obsess about their body shape and size and force themselves into excessive exercise and diet. Like those with other eating disorders, they may continue to hide their bodies obsessively as they keep pushing themselves for more change.
The Gender Factor Of Bigorexia
Eating disorders related to purging or excessive dieting tend to be more common in girls and women, though anyone can suffer from them. Muscle dysphoria, by contrast, seems to affect men and boys disproportionately.
Unsurprisingly, both types of disorder continue to reflect the images that are promoted and glorified. Social media, video game avatars, and other popular media can all contribute to this.
The fact that girls more frequently suffer eating disorders centered around thinness and boys are more frequently drawn to those centered around muscle mass seems to reflect that the ‘ideal’ body types promoted in popular media are very gendered.
However, both types of disorder can be dangerous, and the danger may be a matter of degree.
It’s Great To Strive For Fitness!
You might cheer when you see that your son has ditched the video game controller for a set of weights.
After all, we all know that too many kids don’t get enough exercise and physical activity. As parents, many of us worry about screen time, inactivity, and video game addiction. We also know that the population is trending towards more unhealthy foods, unhealthy lifestyles, and less fitness.
However, there’s a wide line between the mindset of getting fit and the mindset that becomes so obsessed with fitness that our kids put themselves in danger.
Why Is It Dangerous To Obsess Over Fitness?
If fitness is health, it might seem like it’s actually a good thing to obsess over. However, taken to excess, muscle dysmorphia and an obsession with exercise and bodybuilding can do serious harm.
In the short term, teens who become obsessed with bodybuilding may cause themselves injuries by trying to do too much too soon. There’s also the temptation to use steroids or supplements to increase the workout and long-term mental health effects. According to The Alliance For Eating Disorders:
“Excessive exercise, especially when done by teens in critical growth phases, can cause stress fractures, muscle strain, damage to growth plates, ruptured discs, and exhaustion. Misuse of supplements or steroids can lead to liver damage, kidney failure, immune suppression, and drastic changes in temperament. Compulsive preoccupation with one’s body shape or weight can result in low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety.”
How Many Kids Are Affected By Bigorexia?
Unfortunately , this is hard to quantify.
Even better-known eating disorders are hard to tabulate since, by their very nature, sufferers tend to hide their symptoms. However, the statistics on muscle dysphoria or bigorexia are even less clear.
However, bigorexia does seem to be on the rise, and a 2020 study found that body dysmorphia overall appears to be climbing in adolescents, with boys particularly at risk of muscle dysphoria.
What Should Parents Do?
As a parent, you have two primary avenues for protecting your child from muscle dysphoria (and similar disorders).
First, you can focus on the messages they receive about their body. Parents can teach their children that all body types are good and that they should focus on health and happiness, not on forcing a body into a specific shape.
The other side is countering or blocking some negative messages your kids may receive. You won’t be able to prevent them from ever getting the message that it’s important to look a certain way, but you can limit access to some of the most toxic sources and keep an eye on your child’s media access while they’re young. You can also work to counter the negative messages they get by speaking up and pointing them out.
Your second avenue for protecting them is watching for signs of disordered eating or dysphoria and seeking help if there is a concern.
What Are The Warning Signs Of Bigorexia?
What red flags should you watch out for? If your child is suffering from muscle dysphoria, you might see some of the following, the National Alliance For Eating Disorders explains:
- Obsession with physical appearance and body image.
- Frequent exercise and excessive time spent working out or at the gym.
- Frequently checking out one’s appearance in the mirror, commonly known as “mirror checking.”
- Preoccupation with dieting and calories.
- Changes in eating patterns.
- Excessive use or misuse of supplements, steroids, or other medications.
- Low self-esteem.
- Mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorderSudden changes in body shape or body weight.
- Bloating and fluid retention in limbs or face.
- Reduced immune response.
- Extreme muscular definition.