It is common and we all know of cases of people who have made radical changes in their appearance due to not feeling good with some part of their body or their appearance.
It is common and we all know of cases of people who have made radical changes in their appearance due to not feeling good with some part of their body or their appearance. In famous people we will all think of Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson, Pamela Anderson or Belen Esteban among many others who have made change almost a way of life.
This can be considered normal, but when it becomes something exaggerated, as it would be in many cases of these celebrities, we would be talking about a problem.
The complex is caused in our relationship with others and in relation to our memory of a stereotyped physical image that we want to approach. When this is becoming an obsessive thought that conditions the daily life of the person who suffers from it, that is when we should go to the psychologist.
The most common would be:
-Body dysmorphia or dysmorphic syndrome. It is a distorted body image and they often go to aesthetic or surgical treatments and suffer something similar to OCD.
-Muscle dysmorgia or vigorexia. In this case, the person is looking for an extraordinarily healthy or muscular body.
-Anorexy. It can also occur with bulimia or binge eating. In this case, the person looks excessively obese even when they are at risk underweight levels.
The treatment is usually cognitive behavioral, although including emotional work helps to get rid of this problem. Although anxiolytic or antidepressant drugs are sometimes used, they are not always necessary since it will depend on whether the patient has associated anxiety or depression.
Before going to the plastic surgeon, it is good to come and talk to the psychologist and see that we are really facing a change that will not be the answer to this problem.
For any questions at Psicologia Granollers we are here to advise you.
