Help! Please! My Friend is literally killing himself through Muscle Dysmorphia

Darren of the Dead

Hey guys and girls, so this is a new long term mental illness my friend is suffering from, I need some contacts for the Cork area...does anyone know of any good therapy or treatment? Please respond!!!

For the past five years a friend of mine has become increasingly obsessive with regards to his bodybuilding regime. Since he begun he has gained upwards of 40 kilos, a lot of which is actually fat, though for him he doesn't seem to perceive it as fat. As a result of this he is literally covered in stretch marks everywhere. He has spent literally thousands of euro on supplements and red meat. This problem has been very much glossed over until recently when he began taking steroids-I'm not up for an ethical debate on steroids, but in this subjective case they're doing real harm!. He assured me that he knew what he was doing and despite intervention from his parents he continued to take them. He has now become essentially completely removed from his family and is living in isolation with his grandmother.

I probably wouldn't be as concerned if there was a logical reason for his taking of the drugs - I could see maybe why some high ranked athletes or professional bodybuilders would consider using them- but he has no interest in competing and is not involved in any sport. He seems to take them for the social status he gets when people remark how huge he is- he is currently around 120 kilos and under six foot tall.

Now, you may think that a lot of this is trivial, but so did I until recently. I thought it was just another of his many phases.But last night through discussion I learned that he was getting as little as three hours sleep a night. This is largely due to the amount of time he spends at the gym. He spends so much time there that everything else is pushed aside- his academic work, his relationships, his job and even his sleep all come second to working out. (He is still a virgin in his mid twenties- again not debating on asexuality here, but he has indicated that he would like a gf if it meant it wouldn't impose on his BB schedule!)

An average day could look something like this:

7:00am Up to cook meals for the day- he has stated that he feels angry if he doesn't get atleast five meals a day with three protein shakes. This is his minimum requirement.

9:00am Arrive at work ( He will take regular breaks to drink protein shakes, not that I claim to have much knowledge on the subject but he has told me that these shakes have up to 100 grammes of protein ie he is clearly exceeding the necessary amount, he could be having maybe four of these a day- I gather the average serving for one of these shakes is between 20 and 40 grammes).

6:00pm Home from work, fuel up for the evening's workout (possibly his sixth meal of the day).

7:00pm Arrive at gym, vigorous one to two hour work out of resistance training.

11:00pm Arrive home from the gym after walking home

12:00am Relax for two hours

2:00am Begin Academic work for a corespondance course in optics ( A part time degree course for a college in the UK)

5:00am Sleep
.
7:00am Up again for work.

We through the course of our discussion noted that indeed the problem was the gym- he is definitely aware that it is literally tearing his world down around him. I'm no expert but I presume that the massive weight gain mixed with his lack of sleep and intense work outs topped off with a diet rich in saturated fat and caffeine to compensate for his lost sleep, are endangering his health. He is aware of it, but admits that he doesn't want to stop. I suggested he cut out one gym day a week to try balance things out, he acknowledged the logic of doing so but admitted that he probably wouldn't.

This is a six day a week cycle. He tells me that he hasn't taken a holiday from training in two years.

He had a brief issue with bullying which has had a major impact on his life, he also has a major problem with the opposite sex ( he did attend one session with a psychological nutritionist but ended up leaving because she was a woman and he believes a woman could not possibly know anything about his problem) he is also particularly at odds with his mother. Added to this is a intensely "macho attitude," advocating the suppression of emotions and a strong and irrational homophobia, yet paradoxically, a lack of interest in having a girlfriend or entering into any form of relationship which would subtract from his time at the gym.

He is probably as we speak on his way from Cork to Waterford to buy his second batch of steroids. I am very worried and fear that if he does not stop he will damage himself further.

His family seem to have given up on him changing and are angry with him. I can see their reasons for anger, but it seems to me that he is indeed an addict and needs someone with skilled expertise in the area before he does himself further serious harm. He is desperate and I would appreciate it greatly if you could offer me any advice or point me in the direction of anyone with a knowledge of this bizarre addiction. He is unwilling to seek help himself.

I have added a link to a journal which eerily describes a lot of his behavioral problems:
http://www.psy.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/reprint/38/6/548

He appears to be suffering from this muscle dysmorphia, though do note that I am in no way attempting to diagnose him, I recognise that I am in no way qualified to do such a thing, but I am suggesting that he displays much of the characteristics of the disorder.

I would appreciate any guidance or advice or direction.

Anyone know of any specialists dealing in this area? I will be forever indebted to you if you can offer some advice!

sam34

we cant really offer you any advice only other than get his gp involved for starters. any referral to a specialist will have to come from his gp.