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What is Body Checking and Why is it Dangerous?
Body checking is a term often used in the eating disorder realm. However, many do not know what it means or how common it is outside of the world of eating disorders.
What is Body Checking?
Body checking can be simply defined as compulsively or obsessively focusing and scrutinizing either the body as a whole or a specific area.
These behaviors are displayed in many ways such as frequently and compulsively checking mirrors or reflective surfaces, checking the circumference of body parts such as the wrist, stomach, or waist, using clothes to determine if body size has changed, feeling for bones, and/or repeatedly making negative remarks about body weight, shape, or size [1] [2].
For many, these behaviors are present throughout their eating disorder and become troublesome to let go of in recovery. Those in recovery may find it particularly challenging as they experience the refeeding and weight restoration process.
Individuals in this stage of recovery often increase their checking in a frantic effort to learn how their body is changing. They may believe they will find nothing changed or hope that this will make them feel more in control. However, most often, it increases panic and anxiety as they are faced with the reality of their changing body in recovery.
It has been found that “patients with eating disorders engage in more frequent body checking than normal controls and that the great majority of patients engage in such behavior [2].” However, research also indicates that a certain level of body checking is “normative,” particularly in young women [2].
Potential Dangers
Body checking itself causes concern over the emphasis and overvaluation of size, weight, and appearance. Studies indicate that “‘the frequent but brief checking of shape, while in a state of high arousal, magnifies perceived bodily imperfections [2].’”
Essentially, individuals that engage in this habit find their anxieties, concerns, and fears over their body weight, shape, size, and appearance to increase. Body checking is also shown to “lead to over-concern with body shape and size as well as fear of fatness [2].”
One study increased participant’s engagement and found that those that engaged in “high body checking” experienced an increase in body dissatisfaction [2]. An important aspect to note is that body dissatisfaction was only increased temporarily and returned to base level after a period of time [2].
Study facilitators believe that this information can be useful in treatment, as “treatment that reduces the frequency of body checking is likely to reduce fluctuations in body dissatisfaction, feelings of fatness and self-critical thoughts, leaving the clinician able to address the other factors that are contributing to the patients’ concerns such as low mood, avoidance and, of course, the over-evaluation of shape and weight [2].”
If you are concerned about your own or a loved one’s body checking habits, it is important to examine them further. There are many skills individuals that engage in body checking can use to distract themselves, engage in mindfulness, and reduce body-related anxieties.
Resources:
[1] Unknown (2020). What is body checking? Rogers Behavioral Health, retrieved from https://rogersbh.org/about-us/newsroom/blog/what-body-checking. [2] Shafran, R., Lee, M., Payne, E., Fairburn, C. G. (2007). An experimental analysis of body checking. Behavior Research and Therapy; 45:1, 113-121.About the Author:
Margot Rittenhouse, MS, PLPC, NCC is a therapist who is passionate about providing mental health support to all in need and has worked with clients with substance abuse issues, eating disorders, domestic violence victims, and offenders, and severely mentally ill youth.
As a freelance writer for Eating Disorder Hope and Addiction Hope and a mentor with MentorConnect, Margot is a passionate eating disorder advocate, committed to de-stigmatizing these illnesses while showing support for those struggling through mentoring, writing, and volunteering. Margot has a Master’s of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Johns Hopkins University.
The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective on eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer a discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.
We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.
Published October 30, 2020, on EatingDisorderHope.com
Reviewed & Approved on October 30, 2020, by Jacquelyn Ekern MS, LPC
The EatingDisorderHope.com editorial team comprises experienced writers, editors, and medical reviewers specializing in eating disorders, treatment, and mental and behavioral health.
