2022-01-28 09:00:00
Everyone agrees that physical activity is necessary for a healthy lifestyle. But in some athletes, the search for performance goes much too far. The risk: falling into the bigorexie.
Definition: what is bigorexia? What are the symptoms ?
Running for several hours a day, pushing the limits of your body, can be the sign of a real addiction, bigorexia.
Like all addictionsit results in an increasingly intense practice (without any notion of duration) and, above all, with a loss of control. The person throws himself headlong into sport and she is tormented by the irrepressible need to always go further. “Through their sports practice, these people are looking for sensations and they need to increase their practice to feel even more pleasure”, explains Dr. Julie Farbos, child psychiatrist and sports doctor at the Bordeaux University Hospital.
What are the consequences and dangers of bigorexia?
By devoting most of their time to sport, people are cutting back on their recovery time, and even on their sleep. By pulling too hard on the rope, they expose themselves to a high risk of injury (e.g. repeated tendinitis or muscle tears, bone fractures) and exhaust themselves not only physically, but also psychic.
Other problems: addicts au sport have a profile likely to lead them to other addictions (alcohol, cannabis, etc.) and their risk of doping is increased. The sportsman gradually moves away from his circle of friends or family. Some also find themselves in financial difficulty.
Who is affected by this addiction? What are the causes ?
Not all athletes are affected by bigorexia, far from it. But certain psychological profiles are more concernedwhether they evolve in the amateur or professional environment:
These are essentially people who have difficulty setting limits and who need to channel an anxiety disorder. It is not the sport that leads to bigorexia, but the personality of the subject, underlines Julie Farbos.
People who have this profile are naturally attracted to certain sports disciplines, in particular sports d’endurance : cycling, running, trail running and all Extreme sports. These activities require a strong physical and psychological commitment. The followers are in search of adrenaline and seek to continually improve their performance.
Adolescents particularly affected by sports disease
In his consultation, Dr. Farbos receives more and moreteenage victims of bigorexia. Between childhood and adulthood, teenagers in the throes of emotional turbulence easily become addicted to sport “During this period, we are more anxious and less well equipped to manage the constraints”, notes the psychiatrist.
The anxiety generated by the Covid-19 pandemic has only aggravated addictive inclinations among the most vulnerable, with many finding refuge in sports.
Bigorexia and anorexia: two different problems
Adolescence is also a period conducive to eating disorders (ED) such as anorexia, bulimia or binge eating. Contrary to popular belief, eating disorders do not necessarily go hand in hand with sports addiction. The two problems are quite distinct. “It is true that in anorexia there is often a tendency to over-train sports. But a person suffering from bigorexia is not necessarily anorexic,” notes Dr. Julie Farbos.
How to treat bigorexia?
The patient will be led to become aware of the vicious circle in which he is trapped. He will then have to modify his behavior without, however, stopping the sport.
Who to consult?
Julie Farbos advises to contact her doctor first. “He can, if necessary, refer to a sports doctor or a sports-health hospital service,” she advises. Athletes will feel less at ease in an addiction service frequented by a population with which they will find it difficult to identify.
Multidisciplinary care
The care involves both a doctor and a psychologist, accompanied by other professionals (sophrologist, educator, nutritionist, psychomotrician, etc.). The goal is to help the person get out of his addiction, but also to understand the mechanisms that led to bigorexiato avoid falling into the same trap.
Sports addiction: how is the treatment going?
Support takes place in two stages. We must first recognize that we have a problem. Then, you will have to develop strategies to get out of it.
A difficult realization
Most often, the sportsman is not aware that his level of physical activity goes beyond reason. It is those around him who sound the alarm, for example when he is worried regarding the multiplication of injuries. It takes time for the person concerned to understand that they have a very real problem. And even more time for her to agree to change.
In consultation, Julie Farbos systematically asks her patients regarding thetime they devote to sport. And it is by formulating the answer that some realize that this is not normal. “To realize that we pass more than five hours a day doing sports helps to become aware of the problem”, underlines the psychiatrist.
She also helps her patients to assess the deleterious consequences on their physical and mental health, on their work or on their studies, on their friendly, family or romantic relationships. This awareness-raising phase lasts an average of three months.
Gradually change your relationship to sport
In a second step, the person is gradually brought to modify his behavior. A job that can take one or two years, depending on his age and profile. “It’s not regarding stopping the sport, but regarding slowing down and returning to a more moderate practice. In fact, we explain to these patients who seek to be always more efficient that taking care of them will help them, precisely, to be more efficient”, explains Julie Farbos.
The sports doctor can, for example, encourage the person to diversify your sports practice to avoid systematically traumatizing the same muscles or the same tendons. In this way, he will divert his mind from the sport that obsesses him, while maintaining a physical expenditure.
It can also be directed towards activities other than sports, which are different but just as pleasant. The idea is not only to discover other centers of interest, but also to renew social ties.
Finally, the advice from a dietitian can be useful for discovering new pleasures while taking care of yourself. “Great athletes are concerned regarding their lifestyle. We use it to help them get out of bigorexia,” explains Julie Farbos.
Medicines in some cases
Finally, some patients need medication to calm their anxiety. These antidepressants act on the brain circuits of stress and reward, involved in addiction. A treatment that will help them regain control of their lives.
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