Commentary on muscle dysmorphia as an addiction: A response to Grant (2015) and Nieuwoudt (2015)

Mark D Griffiths, Andrew C Foster, Gillian W Shorter

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Following the publication of our paper ‘Muscle Dysmorphia: Could it be classified as an addiction tobody image?’ in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions, two commentaries by Jon Grant and Johanna Nieuwoudt werepublished in response to our paper. Method: Using the ‘addiction components model’, our main contention is thatmuscle dysmorphia (MD) actually comprises a number of different actions and behaviors and that the actual addictiveactivity is the maintaining of body image via a number of different activities such as bodybuilding, exercise, eatingcertain foods, taking specific drugs (e.g., anabolic steroids), shopping for certain foods, food supplements, andpurchase or use of physical exercise accessories. This paper briefly responds to these two commentaries. Results:While our hypothesized specifics relating to each addiction component sometimes lack empirical support (as notedexplicitly by both Nieuwoudt and Grant), we still believe that our main thesis (that almost all the thoughts and behaviorsof those with MD revolve around the maintenance of body image) is something that could be empirically testedin future research by those who already work in the area. Conclusions: We hope that the ‘Addiction to Body Image’model we proposed provides a new framework for carrying out work in both empirical and clinical settings. The ideathat MD could potentially be classed as an addiction cannot be negated on theoretical grounds as many people in theaddiction field are turning their attention to research in new areas of behavioral addiction.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)11-13
JournalJournal of Behavioral Addictions
Volume4
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 18 Mar 2015

Keywords

  • muscle dysmorphia
  • behavioral addiction
  • behavioural addiction
  • addiction
  • body dysmorphic disorder
  • body image
  • obsessive compulsive disorder
  • eating disorder
  • Psychology

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