Body Dysmorphia
Typical behaviours of someone with BDD
Source: NHS
In this topic (7)
BDD can seriously affect daily life, often affecting work, social life and relationships.
A person with BDD may:
- constantly compare their looks to other people's
- spend a long time in front of a mirror, but at other times avoid mirrors altogether
- spend a long time concealing what they believe is a defect
- become distressed by a particular area of their body (most commonly their face)
- feel anxious when around other people and avoid social situations
- be very secretive and reluctant to seek help, because they believe others will see them as vain or self-obsessed
- seek medical treatment for the perceived defect for example, they may have cosmetic surgery , which is unlikely to relieve their distress
- excessively diet and exercise
Although BDD is not the same as OCD, there are some similarities. For instance, the person may have to repeat certain acts, such as combing their hair, applying make-up, or picking their skin to make it "smooth".
BDD can also lead to depression , self-harm and even thoughts of suicide .
Articles for Body Dysmorphia
Getting help
People with BDD are often reluctant to seek help because they feel ashamed or embarrassed. However, if you have BDD, there is nothing to feel ashamed or embarrassed about. It is a long-term health co
Introduction
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is an anxiety disorder that causes a person to have a distorted view of how they look and to spend a lot of time worrying about their appearance.
Treating BDD
With treatment, many people with BDD will experience an improvement in their symptoms. The specific treatments recommended for you will depend on how severely BDD affects your daily life. If you hav
Typical behaviours of someone with BDD
BDD can seriously affect daily life, often affecting work, social life and relationships. A person with BDD may: constantly compare their looks to other people's spend a long time in front of a mi
What causes BDD?
The cause of BDD is not clear. It may be genetic or caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Past life experiences may play a role too for example, BDD may be more common in people who were tease
When does low confidence turn into BDD?
Almost everyone feels unhappy about the way they look at some point in their life, but these thoughts usually come and go, and can be forgotten. However, for someone with BDD, the thoughts are very d
Who is affected
It's estimated that up to one in every 100 people in the UK may have BDD, although this may be an underestimate as people with the condition often hide it from others. BDD has been found to affec