Muscle Dysmorphia Treatment | Richmond, VA | Aster Springs

Muscle Dysmorphia

Muscular dysmorphia, also referred to as reverse anorexia or bigorexia, is not currently recognized as an eating disorder. It’s often considered to be a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) that’s sub-categorized as a body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), which is when an individual is excessively concerned about a perceived defect of their physical appearance.

With muscular dysmorphia or bigorexia, people become preoccupied with developing muscle to achieve what they perceive as the perfect shape. It’s sometimes difficult to determine if someone is suffering from muscle dysmorphia, as it might be considered a dedication to healthy exercise and weightlifting.

Although muscle dysmorphia isn’t as recognizable or understood as anorexia or bulimia, it’s still important to get muscle dysmorphia treatment to prevent negative health consequences.

Muscle Dysmorphia Symptoms

If you’re asking yourself, “what is muscle dysmorphia?”, it’s helpful to understand the signs of this disorder. Muscle dysmorphia, or bigorexia, symptoms can include:
Individuals with muscle dysmorphia will rarely stop their routine to heal from pain or injuries. If they notice anything unusual in their physical appearance, their response is excessive. Even when they’re muscular and lean, it’s never enough. Other muscle dysmorphia symptoms include extremely strict diets as well as rarely eating at restaurants or other people’s homes to maintain control. Body fat percentage is a big concern, and they may even use anabolic steroids to increase muscle gain.

Health Consequences of Muscle Dysmorphia

Individuals suffering from muscle dysmorphia or bigorexia, rarely seek treatment or feel they need help, which can be one of the most challenging obstacles to recovery. Not seeking treatment can lead to other symptoms and severe consequences such as the loss of relationships, damage to muscles and joints, kidney and liver damage, and heart problems. For these reasons, it’s vital to get muscle dysmorphia treatment at a muscle dysmorphia treatment center like Aster Springs.

Muscle Dysmorphia Treatment At Aster Springs

Our highly skilled and experienced clinicians at our muscle dysmorphia treatment center work closely with each client to create an individualized treatment plan to ensure the best chance at recovery. Each client plays a vital role in helping to set realistic treatment goals that will address the underlying issues of their muscle dysmorphia.

Therapies We Use to Treat Muscle Dysmorphia

To treat muscle dysmorphia or bigorexia, our clinicians create an individualized treatment plan for each client based on their specific needs and diagnosis. At Aster Springs, some of the evidence-based treatments our clinicians utilize to treat muscle dysmorphia include:

Muscle Dysmorphia Treatment Options

We offer three levels of care and different muscle dysmorphia treatment options at our muscle dysmorphia treatment centers in Virginia and Tennessee based on where each client is in their recovery. Our muscle dysmorphia treatment can include residential treatment, partial hospitalization treatment, and/or intensive outpatient treatment.

Kate Fisch LCSW Headshot - Aster Springs

REVIEWED BY

Kate Fisch, LCSW

Kate Fisch is the AVP of Clinical Operations for Odyssey’s Eating Disorder Network. With 17 years of clinical leadership and direct client care experience in the eating disorders field, she has a history of innovation, clinical training, and resource development in a variety of eating disorder treatment settings supporting families, clients, and clinicians.

If you or someone you know needs help, the compassionate team at Aster Springs is ready to help you today.