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Some people find taking photos extremely stressful.
In the next edition of the mental health guide, we’ll tell you about how people with circumstances that force them to do so, try to cover their faces, or other body parts, in photos, or photoshop the image to the point of being unrecognized. These behaviors are symptoms of photography.
What is it?
Body dysmorphic disorder causes a person to suffer from distorted perception of their own appearance, which manifests in many signs, including this symptom. They consider certain features of their appearance to be ugly or seriously exaggerate existing flaws, and this condition severely limits their life and determines many of their actions and decisions. The person becomes overwhelmed by thoughts of imagined defects and cannot forget about them, unlike simple dissatisfaction with one’s appearance, which is common.
Individuals with dysmorphophobia frequently avoid being photographed because they believe that their physical imperfections are more noticeable when standing still.
People dislike themselves in photographs not only because of dysmorphophobia, but more often due to the characteristics of their brain and perception.
Many people have a tendency to overestimate their appearance due to the common cognitive distortion, which results in photos appearing unsuccessful.
Mirror distortions cause another reason. When looking at ourselves in the mirror, our features are slightly altered due to their reflection. However, photographs do not have this effect, causing our appearance to seem unfamiliar and therefore less attractive. Familiarity is often perceived as more attractive by people.
Furthermore, scopophobia, which is an irrational fear of being perceived as foolish and being ridiculed for physical flaws, speech patterns, or gait, can often be indicated by the dislike of being photographed. Another cognitive distortion, the “spotlight effect”, may also manifest in this manner.
Photography often exhibits symptoms through phrases and beliefs such as:
- “Don’t dismiss me, please.”
- “I hate taking photos.”
- “In photographs, I always look especially ugly.”
- “Look at the huge crooked nose I have in this photo. Can you see it? Can you see it?”
- “No, I don’t want to be photographed. Let’s take a photo of you instead.”
- “Take photos without me.”
Why does it arise?
The underlying cause of dysmorphophobia, as well as the related symptom of photographophobia, remains unknown, but experts believe it results from a combination of various factors.
Presence of other mental disorders
For instance, an individual with obsessive-compulsive disorder might exhibit excessive focus on minor details, such as their own physical appearance. Additionally, persistent and inexplicable anxiety is often characteristic of generalized anxiety disorder. Studies indicate that body dysmorphic disorder coexists with these two disorders.
Childhood trauma
Studies indicate that individuals who suffer from severe body dysmorphic disorder experienced regular beatings or sexual abuse during childhood, or their parents did not provide them with love and attention, which created a negative self-image.
Genetic predisposition
The research indicates that a similar diagnosis is present in one-fifth of individuals with dysmorphic disorder among their close relatives.
Mockery of appearance
Adolescence marks the beginning of dysmorphophobia for many individuals who face ridicule, according to psychologists. They believe that peer and parental bullying contributes to the development of a negative self-image.
Features of upbringing
If parents focus heavily on appearance, beauty, and aesthetics, it can trigger the development of dysmorphophobia in their child as they grow up.
Media and mass media
They typically present a certain type of appearance and promote it as currently fashionable or ideal, which studies reveal can adversely affect people’s attitudes towards their own appearance. If their appearance does not conform to the fashionable type, individuals may develop a self-perception of unattractiveness and potentially develop a disorder.
What are the dangers?
Dysmorphophobia significantly diminishes the quality of life for those who suffer from it. They minimize personal communication with others to avoid displaying their appearance needlessly. Consequently, they frequently decline invitations to parties, dates, and intimate interaction with others.
They often spend huge sums of money on cosmetologists and plastic surgeons in an attempt to change their appearance, which deprives them of financial stability.
People with dysmorphophobia can almost constantly experience negative emotions that can eventually lead to depression accompanied by suicidal thoughts. This disorder can also cause anorexia and bulimia.
The very act of photography causes individual problems, particularly in daily life. The seriousness of the issue can be to the point where a person might decline important documents since they can’t take pictures of them.
What to do if you have dysmorphophobia?
If you suspect that you have dysmorfohobia, you should consult a specialist, such as a psychiatrist. The specialist will diagnose whether you are really suffering from this disorder and prescribe treatment, if necessary.
Research indicates that doctors can effectively treat dysmorphophobia using cognitive-behavioral therapy and certain types of antidepressants that they supervise.
Systemic family psychotherapy can also help in cases where relatives or cultural attitudes formed during upbringing cause dysmorphia through psychological or physical abuse.
What to do if you simply don’t like taking photos?
With the fear of photography, caused by the consequences of mirror distortions or a tendency to overestimate one’s own appearance, one can cope on their own.
Here are a couple of tips:
- Face your fear: start taking as many photos as possible. And then try to look at what you’ve got as often as possible. Or even put one of your photos on the main screen of your smartphone. This will help you gradually get used to how you look in photos, accept it – and stop considering yourself unphotogenic and unattractive.
- Smile when you are being photographed. Studies show that if you look happy in a photo, it automatically makes you more attractive in the eyes of others, and most importantly – in your own.
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