In the clinical setting, body image disturbances are relatively frequent and involve both psychiatric and neurological disorders. Disturbances in the perception of one's body are present in psychiatric disorders such as: •
anorexia nervosa •
bulimia nervosa •
binge eating disorder •
psychotic spectrum disorders •
body dysmorphic disorder •
body integrity dysphoria (not included in
DSM-5). Body image disorders are common in eating disorders and are referred to as "
body image disturbance". Furthermore, The Allocentric Lock Theory states that those with eating disorders, such as Anorexia nervosa, are incapable of retaining new and updated views on their own bodies, therefore are unable to precisely report on their current body.
Binge eating disorder Binge eating disorder is a very serious form of eating disorder. Individuals with binge eating disorder often get the feeling of not being able to stop eating and eating much larger portions of food. Often after these binges, people with BED feel the need to cut back on their eating, but often this just results in more of the feeling to need to binge in the future. It can be caused by a number of things and is a lot of the time caused by a mix of things such as psychological things, environmental things, or biological things.
Psychotic spectrum disorders Psychotic spectrum disorder is a group of disorders that all have to do with psychosis. People with psychotic spectrum disorders often have trouble deciphering their thought which can lead to them being unable to tell what is real and what is fake. It is hard to define because each person who experiences it experiences it differently. There are many different types such as schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder,
delusional disorder, and many more. It is unknown for sure what causes psychotic spectrum disorders, but it is thought to be most likely a combination of genetics, brain development, traumas, and/or illnesses.
Body dysmorphia disorder Body dysmorphic disorder is a mental disorder in which a person hyper focuses on any possible flaws or defects that they see in themselves that in most cases aren't seen by others. It causes people that have it to care more and focus on body image and appearance. There's no known for sure cause of body dysmorphia, but like many other illnesses, it is most likely caused by a combination of things such as family history, negative experiences, and abnormal brain functions.
Body integrity disorder Body integrity dysphoria is a mental disorder in which a person gets the feeling that a certain part of their body no longer belongs on their body. People with this disorder know that the part is useful and healthy, but don't believe that they should be able to use it. It often causes people to try and get amputations or attempt to amputate themselves. There's no known cause of body integrity disorder, but it is thought to have to do with issues regarding the structure of the brain because multiple parts of the brain are involved in body perception.
Measurements Attempts by researchers to measure variances in body image include the
FAI index, developed in a 2014 study (Zaccagni 2014). The FAI (feel-status minus actual-status inconsistency) index is used to assess someone's weight perception. FAI scores range from -3 to +3: Negative FAI values mean weight status underestimation, positive FAI values mean weight status overestimation and a FAI score of 0 means a realistic perception of one's weight status. The study found that women tend to have positive FAI values (overestimating their weight) while men had negative FAI values (underestimating their weight). Further studies have used the FAI index to study body image among natives and immigrants in Italy and North Africa. Another study (Zaccagni 2020) developed a refined version of the FAI index, called the FAIFAT index. This index (feel-fat-status minus actual-fat-status inconsistency) was meant to address possible fat status perception inconsistencies by
bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). == See also ==