One's concern for personal appearance is normal, but an excessive concern on one's personal appearance is not. This is what we call body image obsession or also known as body dysmorphic disorder (BDD).
BDD as defined by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) is "a body-image disorder characterized by persistent and intrusive preoccupations with an imagined or slight defect in one's appearance."
With this, experts and researchers have conducted studies and research on the dangerous effect of BDD on humanity.
Body image obsession causes eating disorders or a serious mental illness on both male and female from all races and backgrounds. Most of the time, this disorder starts from an early dissatisfaction with the person's appearance that leads to conclude that losing weight could enhance oneself. Eating disorders are serious, life-threatening and difficult-to-treat conditions a person could ever face.
The eating disorder has three main types: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder.
People with anorexia nervosa sees themselves as overweight, but their actual condition was over thin from starving themselves. People with this disorder can diet every day and die from starvation. This type of disorder causes many symptoms such as headaches, reduced metabolism, low blood pressure, hypotension, constipation of diarrhoea and the like.
While people with bulimia nervosa, often eat large amount of foods in a short period of time. It is then followed by unpleasant actions like vomiting, taking laxatives, fasting and even indulging in an excessive exercise. This type of disorder can cause many symptoms such as dehydration, heart failure, and the possibility of ruptured stomach.
Lastly, people with binge-eating disorder indulge, but they often become overweight or obese. This type of disorder can also cause the following such as high blood pressure, chronic kidney problems, diabetes, and stroke.
Aside from that, depression, substance abuse and anxiety disorders come along side with eating disorder which causes heart and kidney problems, even death. Most of these disorders have sprung up from their teenage years or even in their later life.
According to experts and researchers, the number of affected citizens has been increasing for the last 20 years which is quite alarming.
Current treatment options today include mental health therapy, nutritional counselling and medicines. "Early recognition is key. Parents should look for some key signs that their child might have a problem. Whether it be the isolation, preoccupation with food, weight, body image, and change in eating habits," Medical Director Joel Jahraus of Nutrition Services said.
