Body Perception Disorder and Its Place in Society

To talk about a topic that has been frequently heard and talked about a lot lately is “Body Perception Disorder” or “Body Dysmorphic Disorder” by another name. So, “What is this disorder?” If you say, I can explain to you as follows: It is a disorder that causes individuals to think too ugly, too thin, or too overweight constantly in their eyes and minds, even though there are no defects in their bodies or there are small defects.

Multiple factors cause these disorders, which can be listed as follows: family, work, friends, and crowded organizational environments. Of course, social media also plays a big role. Especially in the healthy eating and fitness industry, his name is heard a lot. Although they were not heard often, they are starting to be talked about now. Well, it's started, but can we make our way?

You also know that every time we approach the summer period, especially women take in very few calories for days to “lose weight” and starve themselves because they think it's a condition of being “beautiful”. As the author of this article, I was one of these people, and even now and then I still get stuck in mirrors. Dec. I started going to a dietitian when I was 10 years old because I was diagnosed with “Hashimoto's disease”. Sadly, I watched the “MOVEMENTS THAT MAKE YOU LOSE 2 POUNDS IN 2 DAYS” video from YouTube 2-to 3 days before my dietitian appointment just to “get accepted” and “be beautiful” by my dietitian. At the beginning of my adolescence, do you say vegetable detox, do you say potato detox; do you say little food in front of guests…

Yes, like many people, these were taught to me when I was a child, and so I've always looked in mirrors. Unfortunately, we see that wearing clothes one size too big causes embarrassment in this world where it is always accepted to be thin, but fortunately, we seem to see that the shares circulating on social media and toxic diet culture are gradually decreasing. Thanks to some content producers, it is argued that these issues should be looked at from different perspectives now, and I agree with this to the end.

As I said, although it is more common among women, it is of course a disorder that is also seen in men. According to research, this perception disorder is not only a weight-oriented issue, but also exaggerated concerns about the formlessness, smallness, or size of the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, teeth, jaw, fingers, skin, genital and all kinds of organs are observed in individuals: ‘Big nose or head’, ‘small penis’, ‘long mouth’, ‘asymmetrical face’... complaints are quite common. Women usually have more problems with hip volume and weight; men have more problems with height and genitals.

To eliminate these defects, people can have many surgical procedures, follow a diet unconsciously, or isolate themselves from social life. Most individuals have sensitive thoughts or delusions about organs that they consider defective. Beautification efforts such as closing the relevant organ(s), intensive cosmetic surgery, and hair transplantation, on the contrary, for these patients, may result in a disfigured appearance and being criticized. In the field of healthy living, it has been reported that individuals with muscle dysmorphia pay more special attention to exercise, and anorexia nervosa people pay more special attention to diet. Dec (Body Perception Disorder) October is relatively common among patients with anorexia nervosa, on the other hand, an additional diagnosis of BPD may also indicate the severity of anorexia nervosa.

Of course, it is possible to heal, and for this, first of all, accepting our body is our first condition. Because we can't love ourselves if we don't accept it, which causes a big obstacle for our body, soul, and mind in our lives. But for our health, it is also important to perform exercises and habits that are good for our body and mind. Just while creating this balance, please do not incur the wrath of social media, the advice of non-expert people, or a friend's opinion about your body or an organ. Of course, this will not happen immediately, but with small steps, we can take big steps for ourselves, and I think this is one of the greatest achievements in life. I hope a society where all bodies and different types/sizes of organs are accepted will continue to form.