What do you know about Bigorexia
Bigorexia is catching men (but increasingly women too)- here's why! Men are buying into the beauty myth, except that instead of being thin – its BIG….big muscles that is. It’s about obsessing about ‘pecs’, ‘lats’ and a washboard 6-pack. No longer are body dissatisfaction and breast implants the sole domain of women as they once were.
Who gets the Adonis complex?P.S. If you find an article similar to this one on the www - please note that I have not copied them. They have used an article I wrote for Men's Health magazine which was rejected. They have not named me as author of that article, nor was I ever paid for it, and they ignore all my correspondence.In psychiatric circles, it is known as ‘muscle dysmorphia’ (an obsession about musclebuilding) but to the layman it’s Bigorexia. (BIG.uh.rek.see.uh) n or the Adonis Complex. It's like reverse anorexia.
More typically it’s male bodybuilders, other sportsmen and increasingly the gym-goer who becomes fanatical as they view themselves through a distorted lens and become obsessed about what they perceive as their physical inadequacies. It is estimated that probably 10% of the men in any hard-core gym have muscle dysmorphia, ranging from mild to crippling and that this figure could be three times as high if sub-clinical statistics were added. It's vastly more prevalent amongst men than women. However with the advent of TV programs like Gladiator and WWF wrestling, it's a growing phenomenon amongst women. Body-building for women has also grown in popularity. In one study of over 1000 men, over 50% were unhappy with their bodies and 40% said they would consider chest implants in order to achieve bigger pectorals. When asked to draw their ideal body, the body ideal was so muscular it could only be achieved by taking the risks associated with using anabolic steroids.
It's no surprise that bigorexia is a growing disorder in gyms and health clubs given the hype about impressive pecs, large lats and six packs being sex packs that drive potential partners wild. What's you knowledge of Bigorexia?When fevered by muscle mania, bigorexic men may use steroids for nine or ten years - sometimes refusing to even take a break from them despite the known health risks.The Department of Health looked at 1,300 men in a range of UK gyms and found that 9% were on steroids and surveys done with doctors revealed that one in three doctors had seen steroid takers (i.e. takers that they knew of). Steroid use has long-term risks - potentially damaging changes to the liver, heart and muscles, raised cholesterol levels, possible dependence, mood swings, acne, reduced sex drive, breasts and "'roid rage”. However the common (mis)perception amongst those wanting to bulk up is that, properly taken, they are safe. They aren't! Do you want to know more about bigorexia?It’s the big brother disease to anorexia, except that bigorexia is to "huge" what anorexia is to "tiny.” Their muscles may be sculptured, bulging and rippling, but no amount of persuasion convinces them their body is big or muscular enough.It's also a cousin to exercise bulimia , for while the intention is different, over-exercising is the common denominator. Rather than their bodies being thought of as functional machines, they become the objects of hate, resentment, fear and loathing. Research shows that mens perception of the ideal body is typically around 8 kg more muscular than the stated female preference. Paradoxically, though, women interviewed liked toned muscles, but were put off by huge muscles which they reckon reeks of self-absorption. Bodybuilding, is the male form of low fatness and the fact that it can be a mental disorder escapes many because exercise appears to be healthy and a worked-out body rather than looking deprived looks healthy. It’s a bit like a chameleon – The Adonis complex fits in with its surrounds and unlike the gauntness that accompanies anorexia, it blends in. The perception is that your confidence, your desirability, your sense of being in control and your sex life will improve along with the bigger muscles. The irony is that it seldom ever gets rid of the underlying insecurity. However, just as anorexics lose control, so to do bigorexics. Why is bigorexia so common? It has to do with cultural factors and the changing body image.
But obsessively posing in the mirror at 110kg and seeing a weedy weakling and being so consumed with your pursuit of muscle gain that it interferes with your every day life is something totally different. Sadly bigorexic tendencies are exacerbated, not alleviated, by more sessions at the gym. Wanting to be ever-bigger is like being the roadrunner on a road to nowhere, because obsession breeds dissatisfaction and increasing insecurity.
There will always be someone bigger and better muscled. Bigorexia can be consumingAt its most extreme muscle dysmorphia can have a devastating effect on mens relationships, careers and social lives.A typical story is that of Paul, a 30-year old engineer whose slippery slide into bigorexia started with a casual affair with the gym whilst still in college. Slowly he found himself upping the ante: working out longer hours, building up his weight regime and becoming progressively more fixated with not missing a session. So bad was his muscle dysmorphis that that he refused to honeymoon anywhere where he wouldn’t be able to get to the gym for a week. He refused a promotion because it meant he’d have more time behind a desk and he was fearful of becoming a ‘fat slob.’ Never mind his engineering degree, he took a lower-paying job as a baggage handler at the airport where he felt he would able to increase his ‘workouts’ by using bags and suitcases as his weights. Even when he had a torn ligament, Paul, against his doctors advice felt compelled to continue his workouts. Paul continually compared himself to other men and checking mirrors obsessively –sadly never happy, always seeing himself as puny despite his watermelon muscles which were obvious to everyone else. The way he dressed changed, now he wore big baggy clothes to hide his perceived ‘smallness’ and he’d no longer go to the beach for fear that people would laugh at his body. His perceived puniness drove him harder and got him started on steroids and a high protein diet which occupied increasing amounts of his thoughts. His concentration was quite often focused much more on his workouts or his diet than his work. The amount of time he spent at gym, and his constant need for reassurance about his muscle gain became ongoing battles in his marriage. The final straw was when he refused to cut his gym session short on his first year anniversary to go out to dinner with his wife. Sally, finally threw in the towel and left him saying that there: “wasn’t space for her because he was so busy having an affair with his own body that she wasn’t prepared to compete with such a time-consuming ‘mistress’”.
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This isn't your average gym-goer, who works out a few times a week, can miss the odd session and isn’t obsessed with how his body looks.
However, it is an under-diagnosed condition because, for muscle building and being big is acceptable for men. Increasingly, having sculptured big muscles is to be admired, envied and thought of as powerful. 
Now before any big guys or health clubs get hot under the collar. I’m not saying there is necessarily anything wrong with working out regularly, or being an exercise enthusiast or even a body-builder. 
