Social Media Body Image Disorder-A New Diagnosis Facing Surgeons

Abstract

Body image disorders can have crippling effects on the physical and mental health of a person and their support networks. These disorders are common in younger generations and can lead to serious impact on their daily life. As global communities come together with the internet and social media, we are seeing their impacts on perceptions of appearance and body image. Younger generations are susceptible to these influences from social media, with mental health issues arising from appearance and body dissatisfaction. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V (DSM-V) assists clinicians with understanding and defining many mental health disorders, however we believe that the influence of social media on body image disorders warrants its own diagnosis. We propose a new disorder termed Social Media Body Image Disorder (SMBID). Awareness of this disorder may help clinicians identify patients that have unrealistic expectations from cosmetic procedures.