~BODY IMAGE~ Part 3 of 3 ~ Pressures and Problems

We all have those days where we feel really crappy about the way we look. Being exposed to unrealistic, altered images and seeing people in the public eye caked in makeup that covers every flaw can leave us with ridiculous expectations of the way we should look. With some people this can result in a lot worse than having low confidence, here are the serious mental health issues that can effect people of any gender or age...



Body Dysmorphia is an anxiety disorder where sufferers have a distorted opinion about the way they look, for example, they may be a size 10 but think they are really fat or think that everyone stares at a part of them they feel is abnormal when in actual fact they are perfectly normal. When researching this disorder I was surprised to find that Body Dysmorphia can lead to depression and even make people contemplate suicide. Symptoms include comparing looks with other people's looks, spending a lot of time in front of the mirror or avoiding them completely and spending a lot of time concealing imperfections. BDD is treated using cognitive behavioural therapy (where faulty thoughts are taken and changed into realistic views) or medication like antidepressants or antipsychotic drugs. Body Dysmorphic Disorder can go hand in hand with depression, OCD, any anxiety disorder or an eating disorder.

Eating Disorders such as Anorexia and Bulimia are more widely known than BDD so you probably already know a lot about these. However you may not know about the 'proana' disgrace that is plastered over the internet. From altered images slight girls that probably weigh the same as a small child to 'The ABC Diet' which stands for Ana Boot Camp which encourages fasting and pitiful amounts of food to be eaten (the maximum allowance isn't even half of a woman's recommended calorie intake) social networks like Tumblr are overflowing with disgusting 'proana' material. If you see any of this terrible stuff I urge you to report the material and try to get it taken down because even if you can just scroll someone more vulnerable than you could be heavily affected by seeing this.

If you are worried about yourself or a friend with any of the issues mentioned go talk to a GP or first head to www.nhs.uk which is where I found a lot of the information mentioned and there is more to be found about symptoms, causes and treatments of everything mentioned. I also highly recommend watching Gok's Teens: The Naked Truth which was on Channel 4 a while ago but can still be found on 4OD.

Thanks for reading!

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