Muscle Dysmorphia: An Overview of Clinical Features and Treatment Options

An increasing public and empirical focus on male body image indicates that muscularity is apreeminent concern among boys and men. For some, these concerns develop into a complexand disabling psychiatric disorder termed muscle dysmorphia (MD), the hallmark of whichis an intense preoccupation regarding one’s (subjectively) insufficient muscularity. Treatmentof MD is critical; however, evidence to inform treatment approaches is sorely lacking. Thepurpose of this article is twofold. First, we provide an overview of the clinical features of MD,drawing particular attention to the preoccupation, functional impairment and psychiatriccomorbidity associated with the disorder. Second, we discuss and recommend potential treatmentdirections for MD, including techniques that have demonstrated efficacy in the treatmentof related disorders, namely, body dysmorphic disorder and eating disorders (and anorexianervosa in particular). Psychotherapeutic techniques, including cognitive restructuring of deleteriousperfectionistic and egosyntonic beliefs, and dialectical behavioral techniques to improvethe repertoire of emotion regulation skills available to afflicted individuals, are discussed,in addition to psychopharmacological approaches