Why the increase in muscle dysmorphia?
The DSM-IV list the following diagnostic criteria for the recognition of Muscle Dysmorphia: • The individual is obsessed with the belief that his/her body should be more lean and muscular. Significant amounts of time are devoted to weight-lifting, and fixation on one’s diet is common. • At least two of the following four criteria should be met: • The uncontrollable focus on pursing the usual training regime causes the person to miss out on career, social and other activities. • Circumstances involving body exposure are preferably avoided: if avoidance is not possible, significant unease and worry occur. • Performance on work and social arenas is affected by presumed body deficiencies. • The potentially detrimental effects of the training regime fail to discourage the individual from pursuing dangerous activities.
