Why do you always think you are ugly? Maybe you have "Imagined Ugliness Syndrome"

Audit expert: Li Xianhong

National Level 2 Psychological Counselor

Psychological Counseling Center of PLA 371 Central Hospital

In today's age where "appearance is justice", good looks seem to have become an advantage that everyone recognizes. "Long legs", "right-angled shoulders", "first love face"... these labels constantly refresh the public's perception of beauty, and the beauty of Internet celebrities with beauty filters has exacerbated people's appearance anxiety.

Source: "Hear Her Say"

So, are you also trapped in a vicious circle of "feeling that you are the ugliest person in the world"? Often looking at yourself in the mirror, feeling anxious, always thinking that you are ugly, and extremely miserable?

Friends who often have this kind of mentality should pay attention, perhaps you have a disease called "imagined ugliness syndrome".

1

What is Imagined Ugliness Syndrome?

Imagined Ugliness Syndrome, as the name suggests, is excessive focus on some imagined physical defects of oneself. This is a common mental disorder, the scientific name is "Body Dysmorphic Disorder" (BDD).

Body dysmorphic disorder refers to a psychological disorder in which there are no objective defects in the physical appearance, but the individual imagines that he or she has defects; or there are only minor defects, but the individual exaggerates the minor defects and thus falls into an obsessive, painful and anxious psychological disorder.

Simply put, people with body dysmorphic disorder see themselves as ugly and deformed.

The source of the imaginary defect magnification丨Zhihu

Body dysmorphic disorder is a very common and serious mental illness, but it is not fully recognized by the public. It often occurs in adolescence, and some even occur in childhood. Epidemiological studies of body dysmorphic disorder show that the prevalence rate among adults in the United States is 2.4%. Outside the United States (such as Germany), the current prevalence rate is about 1.7%~1.8%. The incidence rate in women is slightly higher than that in men, but the overall difference is not large. The prevalence rate among college students is about 4%~13%.

Healthy and beautiful young people Source: Pixabay

Body dysmorphic disorder may develop suddenly or gradually, with varying degrees of severity and virtually no breaks in the course of the disease. It may also be a chronic process, with symptoms lasting 10 to 20 years from the time of onset to the time the patient sees a doctor.

2

Symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder

Are you also starting to panic after seeing this? You may also be dissatisfied with your appearance sometimes, so how can you determine whether you have body dysmorphic disorder? Before doubting yourself, let's take a look at the specific manifestations of body dysmorphic disorder.

>>>> Extreme focus on oneself

In body dysmorphic disorder, individuals will focus excessively on minor imperfections, paying selective attention to certain parts of their body, such as the eyes, ears, chin, etc., or wrinkles, spots, etc., and believe that these appearances are flawed, ugly, deformed, weird, etc.

In addition, he will imagine whether others will notice this "defect" and think it is ugly. Therefore, he often thinks that his appearance is unattractive or deformed.

Looking in the mirror Source: Pixabay

Therefore, individuals often spend a lot of time looking in the mirror, repeatedly examining themselves in the mirror to see if their flaws have become more noticeable or if they have changed a little bit.

>>>>Frequent comparisons

In body dysmorphic disorder, individuals engage in frequent comparison behavior, spending hours studying photos of themselves at different times, constantly comparing current photos to past photos and repeatedly confirming defects.

Healthy body source丨Pixabay

When I go out, I can't help but compare the flaws that I care about with others. When I talk to people, I can't concentrate on the conversation and I am completely focused on the other person's appearance.

What's worse, they will constantly compare themselves with artists and stars in movies, TV shows and magazines.

Source: Internet

>>>> Negative sensitivity

Individuals are immersed in their imagined flaws every day, and even think that they have become "uglier" all the time. They may even fall into the illusion that "others are looking at my flaws" in public. They evaluate the flawed parts very negatively and think that the flawed parts are more important than other parts of their appearance.

Source: Pixabay

This seriously affects their social functions, because long-term physical and mental pain makes them particularly sensitive to their appearance. Others' casual jokes or looks make them doubt their appearance. They gradually begin to lose interest in external things and even refuse to interact with others.

This mental disorder causes extreme emotional pain to individuals, and is accompanied by severe depression, withdrawn behavior, etc., and has a high suicide rate.

Source of netizens’ experiences: Weibo

>>>>Keep changing yourself

Individuals will try to cover up their original flaws by constantly changing their makeup, hairstyle, and clothes in an attempt to make themselves more pleasing to the eye; many people will also seek help from doctors in plastic surgery hospitals many times, using plastic surgery again and again to change their appearance.

Plastic surgery source: Pixabay

3

Causes of body dysmorphic disorder

In this era where people believe that "God has eyes and looks", everyone will feel ugly and have low self-esteem for a period of time or a long time. So why do some people suffer from body dysmorphic disorder?

Research by foreign scholars has shown that abuse and trauma experienced during childhood may be important factors leading to the formation of body dysmorphic disorder.

Childhood Shadow Source丨Pixabay

Didie et al. conducted a childhood trauma questionnaire survey on 75 patients with body dysmorphic disorder. Overall, 78.7% of the participants reported abuse, including emotional neglect (68%), emotional abuse (56%), physical abuse (34.7%), physical neglect (33.3%), and sexual abuse (28%).

Source: Pixabay

The results of the study indicate that the onset of body dysmorphic disorder is largely attributed to stressful events, including severe bullying, natural disasters, major illness, parental death or abandonment, witnessing self-harm or suicidal behavior, pet abuse, and domestic violence.

School bullying source丨Pixabay

However, there has been limited research into the broader types of childhood trauma in BDD, and BDD often co-occurs with other psychiatric disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, anorexia, etc. Therefore, it is not possible to fully assess other causes.

4

Treatment

If you find that you have tendencies towards body dysmorphic disorder, don't panic, just actively seek medical help and treatment.

The course of body dysmorphic disorder is generally a chronic process. According to foreign reports, this disease is difficult to cure with drugs. Because it is a psychological disorder, if psychological treatment is the main method, supplemented with appropriate amounts of drugs, the treatment effect is still very good.

Observation of appearance source: Pixabay

In addition, you need to realize that your body is your own, and you can only accept yourself if you accept its imperfections. Try to build your own self-esteem, improve your self-esteem, and correctly understand your own value. There is nothing wrong with your body, it's just that excessive obsession and compulsion have distorted your perception of your body. You look good.

Looking in the mirror Source: Pixabay

In addition, the Internet is also an important factor in the formation of body dysmorphic disorder. Repeatedly watching others' perfect appearance displayed on the Internet will lead to a strong contrast in the individual and increase dissatisfaction with themselves. Therefore, it is okay to watch online videos, but you must not take them seriously. The anchor who turns off the beauty filter is not necessarily perfect.

Source: Pixabay

There should be only one standard of beauty, which is health.

Different skin colors, body shapes, and facial features show different beauty. You don't need to pay for society's aesthetic standards. Your beauty should come from your heart, from your confidence, courage, independence, and kindness.

Source of positive energy: Weibo

Source: Digital Beijing Science Center