Uncovering Mens Body Dysmorphia

 I wanted to talk about a topic that is often overlooked when it comes to Men's mental health. The topic I am going to be blogging about today is body dysmorphia when it comes to men's mental health. I think that this topic of body dysmorphia is still more sought after when it comes to women, but this is why when men experience body dysmorphia it becomes this underground mental issue that men have to deal with, with little support. In fact a statistic I found was that over the last 25 years the amount of men that are dissatisfied with their appearance has tripled. It also said that there is a very similar amount of men that deal with this than women, but women are more open to sharing their struggles then men. Some aspects that are the most common in body dysmorphia is muscle dysmorphia. For example, lots of men who are really skinny may be viewed as “too small” or “ too puny”. It is why you may see men and especially high school boys working out incredibly intensely, along with working out overly consistently that may not always be the most healthy. This muscle dysmorphia also may lead to boys taking supplements and workout drugs that they really don’t need to take to gain muscle. It may just help them build muscle at a quicker rate, which is not always the right thing to do. I think another aspect of body dysmorphia that seems to be incredibly common in men is being preoccupied with their skin. Men who have body dysmorphic disorder often focus on their skin (like acne or scarring), hair (thinning), nose (size or shape), or genitals. These obsessions are challenging to resist and can take up a lot of time each day. Almost all men with this disorder engage in repetitive behaviors like checking the mirror, comparing themselves to others, hiding the perceived flaw, seeking reassurance, and excessive grooming. Overall, it is something that needs to be talked about more among men dealing with these mental issues. There needs to be some reassurance that these high standards that have been set for men are unattainable and don’t need hours upon hours spent to try to meet an impossible task. I encourage everyone to go and listen to the podcast about mens body dysmorphia on our website where you can listen to real life men talk about their experiences with body dysmorphia and how they deal with it.