Why isn't extreme body building considered a mental disorder but anorexia and others.

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msid17

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Why isn't extreme body building considered a mental disorder but anorexia and others is?
Ever wonder this? Obviously anorexia nervosa is a recognized mental disorder that can lead to death. But, why isn't extreme bodybuilding? You know where men take steroids and looking so unaturally buff and extremely unhealthy. I mean obviously anorexia nervosa and exteme bodybuilding are caused by emotional, biological, and environmental factors. But I just don't understand why extreme body building isn't considered a mental disorder? Is it because you don't have a chance of dying, unlike anorexia?
 
There are lots of things in the DSM that really don't need to be there, and some things that should. This might fall into the category of some type of body dysmorphic disorder where the person becomes obsessed with a perceived 'flaw', which might be a lack of definition, or too much body fat, or whatever .. to the point that it becomes unhealthy and dangerous, even life threatening. But certain criteria have to be met, obviously not everyone who is very serious about bodybuilding has a disorder.
 
msid17 said:
Why isn't extreme body building considered a mental disorder but anorexia and others is?
Ever wonder this? Obviously anorexia nervosa is a recognized mental disorder that can lead to death. But, why isn't extreme bodybuilding? You know where men take steroids and looking so unaturally buff and extremely unhealthy. I mean obviously anorexia nervosa and exteme bodybuilding are caused by emotional, biological, and environmental factors. But I just don't understand why extreme body building isn't considered a mental disorder? Is it because you don't have a chance of dying, unlike anorexia?
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I bet some bodybuilders have some issues about their own bodies, but I don't think all of them do.. you can't catagorize an entire population like that. What about top level powerlifters or weightlifters? they train for years in order to put 5kg more on their snatch and clean&jerk.. isn't that crazy?

people with anorexia nevrosa don't understand that they have it. They don't realize that they are very thin and unhealthy because they have a skewed body image. I bet if you ask a bodybuilder if he thinks his body is normal he would say no. I think he would know that his training and diet are both extreme.. I think he would say that he realizes that it can look weird and that people from the outside don't understand, but he loves it, so he wants to do it.
 
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