Body image and psychosis are deeply intertwined. Negative body image can cause and maintain psychosis, and psychosis frequently worsens how we feel about our bodies.
How Negative Body Image Drives Psychosis
- Chronic dissatisfaction with physical appearance depletes psychological resources
- Body shame — a particularly painful form of shame — directly drives psychosis
- Comparison of body to social standards is a primary psychosis trigger
- Body image concerns often involve the same negative self-evaluation patterns as psychosis
How Psychosis Affects Body Image
Psychosis can worsen body image through reduced self-care motivation, changes in appetite and weight, and a general negative lens that extends to physical self-perception.
Addressing Body Image and Psychosis Together
- Body neutrality: Not requiring positive body feelings, just reduction of hostility
- Body functionality focus: What your body does vs. how it looks
- Intuitive eating: Reconnecting with hunger and satisfaction cues disrupted by psychosis
- Therapy: CBT and ACT effectively address both body image and psychosis