What is vigorexia and what is its relationship with self-esteem?

Vigorexia or muscular dysmorphia is a mental disorder in which the patient worries about his physical appearance to pathological levels. This disease affects 4 out of 10,000 people in any given place and time, mostly men between the ages of 18 and 35. In addition, these figures are only increasing in the United States and the rest of the world, probably due to the greater awareness that exists today for physical well-being.

Muscle dysmorphia is a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder that is categorized, more specifically, within body dysmorphic disorders (BDD). The obsession, in this case, is channeled in the search for a perfect image, especially when it comes to muscle development. Despite the fact that vigorexia is not recognized as a disease by the international medical community, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV-TR) takes it into account as a condition psychopathological.

As in all body dysmorphic disorders (BDD), there is a clear discrepancy between the imagined self and the current individual. Patients become obsessed and believe that they are thinner than they should be and that they have inadequate muscle mass, when reality reflects the opposite.

If you want to know more about vigorexia and its relationship with self-esteem, read on.

• Related article: "Keys to understanding eating disorders"

Criteria for diagnosing vigorexia

Before exploring the correlation between vigorexia and the patient's self-esteem, it is necessary to consider what is necessary for it to be considered vigorous In the first instance. The aforementioned Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV-TR), published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), shows us the following symptoms:

• The patient becomes obsessed with the idea that his body should be smoother and more muscular. He uses a significant portion of his time lifting weights and planning his diet.
• Planning and performing the ideal exercises to maintain your type make you lose job opportunities, people in your social environment and fail in other activities.
• The patient avoids situations in which he must expose his body. If he can't do it, he feels distinct discomfort and discomfort.
• Their effectiveness at work and in the social environment diminishes due to their insufficient self-perception.
• The potential detrimental effects of excessive training (muscle breaks, for example) do not stop the patient from putting it into practice.

For a patient to be considered vigorous, he must meet at least 2 of the last 4 points cited. Sometimes muscular dysmorphia is confused with vanity, but nothing is further from the truth: the patient is not comfortable with his body, he looks small and thin and, therefore, tries to solve the supposed deficiencies of him with physical training that can turn out to be dangerous. A vigorous person does not find pride in her body or try to attract attention with it, because really, she feels self-conscious about what she thinks she is.

• You may be interested in: "Do you really know what self-esteem is?"

Vigorexia and self-esteem

Self-esteem is a set of perceptions directed towards oneself, but clearly, the environment plays an essential role in how we perceive ourselves on a social level. In its hierarchy of human needs, self-esteem is defined on 2 clear fronts: need for appreciation, the one you have of yourself, and the respect and acceptance you receive from others people.

To estimate the possible correlation between vigorexia and muscle dysmorphia, we must turn to science. We start with the investigation Muscle Dysmorphia and Eating Disorders: Comparison on Self-Esteem and Personality Traits, published on the ClinMed clinical portal. In this research, 2 sample groups were taken: men with vigorexia (MD) and women with eating disorders (ED), which were controlled with a control group (not pathological).

Researchers and psychologists monitored interviews with each of the patients, which quantified parameters in each of them such as common concerns, parameters of self-esteem, self-perception of the body and others things. It was shown that the pathological groups (ED and MD) had a worse self-perception of the body, a higher degree of perfectionism and more common narcissistic behaviors. Anyway, only women with eating disorders (ED) showed lower self-esteem than the control group. The vigorous men did not.

The following investigation, Relationship between self-esteem and symptoms of muscle dysmorphia in male bodybuilders (Mexican Journal of Eating Disorders) explores the same concept, with a different approach. In it, they tried to identify the symptoms of muscle dysmorphia in 4 groups of men (competitors, non-competitors, gym users and sedentary) and assess their relationship with a possible self-esteem diminished. The sample consisted of 295 men, aged 15 to 63 years.

The results were the following: the participants with lower self-esteem were those who scored higher in motivation for the muscles, compared to those with moderate and low motivation. The correlation was significant and negative between both variables, that is, the lower self-esteem, the more desire to develop muscle mass.

However, it is not yet clear whether this is a cause or a consequence of vigorexia. Does muscle dysmorphia lead to low self-esteem, or is dysmorphia causing low self-esteem?

In conclusion

As you can see, understanding body dysmorphic disorders (BDD) still has a long way to go. Various studies argue that there is a clear correlation between vigorexia and lack of self-esteem, while other sample groups demonstrate the opposite. However, lowered self-esteem is much more common in women with other such disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia, than in men.

We are inclined to think that there is surely a clear correlation between both events, since not seeing oneself as one always wants reduces self-perception and, therefore, self-esteem. Anyway, what is very difficult is to quantify whether lowered self-esteem is a cause or consequence of disorders such as vigorexia. More research is required to elucidate these questions.

Looking for help?

If you need psychotherapeutic or psychiatric support to overcome an emotional disturbance that is affecting you, get in touch with us. On CITA Clinics You will find a team of mental health professionals with many years of experience treating patients in person and online.

Bibliographic references:

• Leone, J. E., Sedory, E. J., & Gray, K. TO. (2005). Recognition and treatment of muscle dysmorphia and related body image disorders. Journal of athletic training, 40 (4), 352.
• Mosley, P. AND. (2009). Bigorexia: Bodybuilding and muscle dysmorphia. European Eating Disorders Review: The Professional Journal of the Eating Disorders Association, 17 (3), 191-198.
• Rodrigue, C., Labrecque, I., Turcotte, O., & Bégin, C. (2018). Muscle dysmorphia and eating disorders: comparison on self esteem and personality traits. Int J Psychol Psychoanal, 4 (2), 1-8.
• Rodríguez, J. H., & Puig, M. AND. L. (2016). Some aspects of interest on vigorexia. Cuban Journal of Comprehensive General Medicine, 32 (3), 1-12.
• Ruiz, E. J. C., Rayón, G. L. Á., Reséndiz, F. D. J. D., & Ramírez, A. M. (2012). Relationship between self-esteem and symptoms of muscle dysmorphia in male bodybuilders. Mexican Journal of Eating Disorders / Mexican Journal of Eating Disorders, 3 (1), 11-18.