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BREAKING STIGMAS
ON MIND AND BODY

Feel safe. Feel supported
Never feel alone.



Body Talk is an online platform that breaks stigmas on Mental Health and redefines Body Image by spreading awareness through open conversations, shared experiences, education, resources, support, creativity and collaboration.


By choosing healthy over skinny, you are choosing self love over self- judgment. By doing so you are choosing yourself, you're mental and physical health, and your confidence over the world’s preconceived ideals and pressures. When you’re healthy, your skin glows, your hair is healthier, your mind is more positive, you think more clearly, and your self-esteem is much higher. Choose you, not society’s/media’s opinions on what’s beautiful. Healthy is what’s beautiful and wanted, always.


Sometimes self harm comes from numbness. Instead of thinking the person is crazy, getting angry or saying words that can cause more harm than comfort, the most important thing is to understand the reason behind it, to make the person feel understood (even if you don’t understand it yourself). That’s what empathy is and it should be applied even more in situations that seem extreme.





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BODY DYSMORPHIA




Body dysmorphic disorder is a mental health disorder in which you can't stop thinking about one or more perceived defects or flaws in your appearance — a flaw that appears minor or can't be seen by others. But you may feel so embarrassed, ashamed and anxious that you may avoid many social situations.

When you have body dysmorphic disorder, you intensely focus on your appearance and body image, repeatedly checking the mirror, grooming or seeking reassurance, sometimes for many hours each day. Your perceived flaw and the repetitive behaviors cause you significant distress, and impact your ability to function in your daily life.

You may seek out numerous cosmetic procedures to try to "fix" your perceived flaw. Afterward, you may feel temporary satisfaction or a reduction in your distress, but often the anxiety returns and you may resume searching for other ways to fix your perceived flaw.




Symptoms 


Signs and symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder include:

  • Being extremely preoccupied with a perceived flaw in appearance that to others can't be seen or appears minor
  • Strong belief that you have a defect in your appearance that makes you ugly or deformed
  • Belief that others take special notice of your appearance in a negative way or mock you
  • Engaging in behaviors aimed at fixing or hiding the perceived flaw that are difficult to resist or control, such as frequently checking the mirror, grooming or skin picking
  • Attempting to hide perceived flaws with styling, makeup or clothes
  • Constantly comparing your appearance with others
  • Frequently seeking reassurance about your appearance from others
  • Having perfectionist tendencies
  • Seeking cosmetic procedures with little satisfaction
  • Avoiding social situations

Causes:


It's not known specifically what causes body dysmorphic disorder. Like many other mental health conditions, body dysmorphic disorder may result from a combination of issues, such as a family history of the disorder, abnormalities in the brain, and negative evaluations or experiences about your body or self-image.


Preoccupation with your appearance and excessive thoughts and repetitive behaviors can be unwanted, difficult to control and so time-consuming that they can cause major distress or problems in your social life, work, school or other areas of functioning.

You may excessively focus over one or more parts of your body. The feature that you focus on may change over time. The most common features people tend to fixate about include:

  • Face, such as nose, complexion, wrinkles, acne and other blemishes
  • Hair, such as appearance, thinning and baldness
  • Skin and vein appearance
  • Breast size
  • Muscle size and tone
  • Genitalia



Read more in detail on mayoclinic.org

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