Phytorexia becomes another, after anorexia or bigorexia, a dangerous disorder in the perception of one's own body. All because of the fashion for being "fit", which makes the struggle for a perfect body an addiction for some people. What exactly is phytorexia? How can you tell when caring for your body becomes an obsession? What is the treatment of such a disorder?

Phytorexia(colloquiallyfitnessomania, fitmania ) is a mental disorder, the essence of which is excessive attention to the figure, obsessive striving to be "fit ”, That is, striving to achieve an ideal, sorted body. People suffering from phytorexia believe that their figure is not perfect.

Therefore, they become addicted to exercise, thanks to which they are to get rid of body defects and achieve the ideal figure. Unfortunately, this one does not actually exist, therefore the acceptance of one's own body never takes place.

Phytorexia can be classified as Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) - a group of mental disorders characterized by dissatisfaction with the appearance of one's own body, the occurrence of anxiety related to the belief that the body looks unsightly (with the described body defects are often an exaggerated problem).

These include, among othersanorexia, bulimia and bigorexia(excessive attention to muscles). Phiotorexia is even referred to by some as " sports bulimia " (when hunger pangs end with an additional series of exercises instead of vomiting) or " sports anorexia " (when a sick person thinks obsessively about exercise only as a way to burn calories and lose weight).

It is worth knowing that phytorexia affects not only women. Men also fall into the trap of being "fit". When gentlemen are perpetually frustrated and dissatisfied with their appearance, there is talk of an Adonis complex that can lead to dangerous bigorexia.

Fitorexia - reasons

The indirect cause of phytorexia is the fashion for being "fit", the ubiquitous cult of a slim, athletic body. The media, which has a large impact on public opinion, and to some extent shapes human behavior (especially of young people), promotes the ideal of beauty, which is hidden under the term "fit".

The pressure of the environment, according to which the ideal figure is also important, is also importantimportant as well as a career, and even more important. In people with low self-esteem, this can lead to a deepening lack of acceptance of their body and disturbances in its perception.

These are usually people who in childhood had problems with functioning in a peer group or had disturbed relationships with relatives (e.g. parents). These types of problems with adolescence do not always go away with maturity and can lead to lower self-esteem.

In the times of the cult of the emaciated model, this problem led to anorexia and bulimia. Today there is afashion to be "fit ", therefore the problem of phytorexia is growing.

Phytorexia - how to recognize the symptoms?

A phytorectic is preoccupied with persistent thoughts about his body, so he looks in the mirror every day and carefully observes every part of his body, often comparing them to pictures of ideal bodies (e.g. fitness trainers).

Every time she notices some shortcomings that make the silhouette not perfect. He concludes that exercise is fashionable and beneficial to he alth to solve the problem. Unfortunately, distorted thinking makes exercises that have been performed for a long time perceived as ineffective, which leads to:

  • systematically increasing the dose of exercise - the phytorectic is exercising more and harder, practically does not leave the fitness club;
  • no restrictions in practicing sports - a phytorectic practitioner exercises even when he feels pain in muscles, tendons and joints, and even after an injury, during illness, and when the body is simply exhausted by a training regime. This is because the phytorectic sees no problem and considers itself to be a specimen of he alth, although its form is not perfect. A person addicted to sports experiences psychological discomfort when he misses even one exercise. Then they behave similarly to the person in rehab - they become nervous and unpleasant towards other people;
  • minimizing food portions - the fashion of being "fit" also involves changing the way of eating to a better, he althier one. Unfortunately, in the case of phytorectics, changing eating habits mainly consists in reducing the caloric content of food. It is assumed that the disorder may even lead to the development of orthorexia;

Fitorektyk, because he devotes all his free time to exercises, gives up meetings with friends and has no time for his family. A person suffering from phytorexia is focused only on himself and does not expect the approval of others.

The phytorectic closes itself in its own world, because onlyhe himself could accept his body. Unfortunately, this never happens because exercise has no subjective psychological effect (despite the appropriate physical effects), which can eventually lead to depressive disorders.

Important

Phytorexia - side effects

Phytorexia can lead to hormonal disorders, irreversible changes in the osteoarticular system, decreased libido, and in women to amenorrhea.

Fitorexia - treatment

Phytorexia belongs to the group of anxiety disorders, and these are treated with antidepressants. However, sometimes therapy with a psychologist is enough.

The goal of psychotherapy is to find the cause of lowered self-esteem, change the way you think about your own appearance, and set yourself more realistic goals. Unfortunately, phytorexics do not seek help because they do not consider their sports addiction to be a problem.

Category:

Psychology