Body Dysmorphia Affects Roughly One in 40–50 Adults
Body dysmorphic disorder is a mental health condition in which people become obsessed with minor or nonexistent flaws in their appearance. An article in Latvijas Avīze describes how common it is and how social media contributes.
Body dysmorphic disorder, commonly shortened to dysmorphia, is a mental health condition in which a person constantly dwells on minor or entirely imaginary flaws in their appearance. In an article published in the Latvian newspaper Latvijas Avīze on 9 October 2026, author Pēteris Apinis explains how the disorder shows up, how common it is, and why surgery does not resolve it.
How the disorder shows up
Patients may spend several hours a day looking in the mirror, grooming or seeking reassurance from others. A detail that other people do not notice looks like a huge defect to them. Some people do the opposite and avoid mirrors and photographs. They compare themselves with others, spend money on beauty treatments or plastic surgery, and over time withdraw socially. The author stresses that the problem lies in the brain, not the body, so after an operation the person usually finds a new "defect".
The disorder is not only about weight and can affect any part of the body. Muscle dysmorphia, also called bigorexia, exists too. It often occurs together with anxiety and depression.
Prevalence
Among adults, dysmorphia occurs in about 1.7–2.4% of people, meaning roughly one in every 40–50. Rates are similar for men and women. It is found in 9–15% of dermatology patients, and 7–15% of patients at aesthetic surgery clinics meet the criteria. Among rhinoplasty patients the figure exceeds 50%. For people being treated for depression or obsessive-compulsive disorders, the rate is 10–16%.
The first serious symptoms usually appear at the age of 12–13. Without treatment, the disorder can become chronic and stay with a person for life.
The role of social media
The author notes that over the past decade the number of new cases among teenagers and young adults has risen proportionally. The root causes are genetic, neurobiological and psychological, but filters and visually driven platforms such as Instagram and TikTok speed up its development.
The rest of the article covers men's concerns about penis size, breast dysmorphia in women, and dysmorphia in dental clinics. Plastic surgeons often screen patients' motivation with psychological tests, since operating on someone with active dysmorphia is dangerous.
