About bigorexia: Beyond a dysmorphic disorder. Diagnostic delimitation and causes of this disorder

Abstract

Bigorexia is a complex psychological disorder and not always well defined. Despite being included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-5 (APA, 2013), within obsessive compulsive disorders and related disorders, it shares symptoms that could be included in the category of eating disorders or addictive disorders. In this last sense, there are many studies that suggest that the need to practice sports, carry out strict diets and the consumption of substances such as Androgenic Anabolic Steroids (AAS) in order to increase muscle, meet the conditions of an addiction. This article raises the possibility of considering vigorexia as a disorder with an independent nosological entity and analyzes the factors that make people more vulnerable to suffer from bigorexia together with the need to carry out prevention campaigns in society.