Growing Health Concern for Men: Bigorexia

Are you Bigorexic?

First in order know the answer to this question you will need to understand what Bigorexia is and how it affects men. By definition Bigorexia is similar to anorexia in that it involves a preoccupation with body image. For men this means a misguided obsession with their bodies and muscle development. Bigorexia otherwise known as, muscular dysmorphia is spreading like wildfire affecting hundreds of thousands of men across the world.

A man suffering from this unique condition will put their home, career, and health in serious jeopardy, as they continue to work on developing more and more muscle. They are never content with the well developed body that they have already created. Often they continue training even if they have physical pain or serious injuries, like broken bones. As with anorexia, men that suffer from this condition do not like their bodies. They are never happy with the way they look; therefore they do not show off their bodies and will usually avoid situations that might include exposing their physiques.

Correctly Perform Abdominal Exercises

Muscle dysmorphia is a term that was used to describe this male disorder. Another term that may be more familiar to people is reverse anorexia. The real cause of this condition is not readily known, but some health professionals believe there are two major contributing factors. One idea suggests that bigorexia is related to an obsessive compulsive disorder. The second theory relates to our society and the pressure that is put on both men and women by advertisers and other media sources to achieve the perfect body shape and appearance.

Bigorexia is more common amongst bodybuilders, though it is termed as a male disorder, some studies show that women bodybuilders also suffer from it. Plus not all sufferers are bodybuilders. The difference between a normal weightlifter and a man suffering from bigorexia really comes down to the amount of time spent working out and developing their bodies. The average weightlifter will spend around forty minutes a day. While a man with bigorexia will spend five hours or more a day working out.

Again the similarities between anorexia and biorexia cannot be ignored, as these men also develop bulimia, obsess about the foods they eat, and are overly concerned about their body image. Treatment is often neglected as they do not recognize the disorder. Unless they receive interventions from family and friends most will not seek help. For those who do, a combination of health education and psychotherapy is used to help treat their condition.