Bigorexia, or muscle dysmorphia, is a body dysmorphic disorder where individuals believe they are not muscular enough, resulting in a disconnect between their perception of their body and reality. It is common in men but can also affect women, and treatment involves long-term psychological care and support from friends and family.
Bigorexia is a body dysmorphic disorder in which someone believes that no matter how much they exercise, they will never be muscular enough. The technical term for bigorexia is “muscle dysmorphia,” which reflects the fact that the focus of people with the condition is their muscles, but people also call it “inverse anorexia” or “biorexia” because the condition involves a growing as large as possible, rather than trying to become as small as possible, as is the case with anorexia.
Most patients with bigorexia are men, reflecting a standard of male beauty that places a strong emphasis on being well-muscled, although women can also suffer from the condition. Like other body dysmorphic disorders, bigorexia results from a fundamental disconnect between the patient’s perception of the body and the actual body. Burly men with perfectly chiseled muscles may look in the mirror and see a weakling, and then berate themselves for not working harder.
One of the key symptoms of bigorexia is a hard and persistent workout schedule that focuses on lifting weights with the goal of building muscle. Patients will train through pain and injury, neglect work and family obligations to train, and obsess over working out when they’re not at the gym. People with muscle dysmorphia also tend to control their diet a lot, as they want to build their body as quickly as possible, and they also want to get rid of body fat; the goal is a lean, heavily muscled body.
Constant mirror checking is also common in muscle dysmorphia, although paradoxically many patients are very shy. Like anorexic patients, they consider their body imperfect and therefore do not want to expose themselves to the judgment of others. Some bigorexics also use drugs to encourage muscle development and may develop eating disorders such as bulimia in an attempt to control their diet. Many also skip meals with family and friends because they want total control over what they eat.
Treatment for bigorexia involves long-term psychological care. Counseling is usually recommended, and psychiatric medications can sometimes be used to manage depression, especially in the early stages of treatment. The support of friends and family is also key. The weightlifting community has been slow to acknowledge muscle dysmorphia, although growing situational awareness has led some gyms to create support groups and buddy systems to catch bigorexia in its early stages and to support people in recovery.
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