What is Body Dysmorphic Disorder?
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), also known as dysmorphophobia, is a mental health condition characterised by an intense preoccupation with perceived flaws in one’s physical appearance. These perceived defects are often minor or entirely unnoticeable to others. Individuals with BDD engage in repetitive and time-consuming behaviours, which may include:
- Mirror checking: Frequent and obsessive scrutiny of their reflection in mirrors or other reflective surfaces.
- Skin picking or hair pulling: Attempting to “correct” perceived flaws through actions like skin picking or hair plucking.
- Camouflaging: Using makeup, clothing, or other methods to hide or downplay the perceived imperfections.
- Seeking reassurance: Frequently seeking validation and reassurance from others regarding their appearance.
- Comparing: Frequently measuring their appearance against others or idealised images from media.
- Avoidance: Avoiding social situations or places where they anticipate judgment based on their appearance.
BDD can be highly distressing, leading to significant disruptions in daily life and relationships. Those with BDD often experience low self-esteem and a distorted self-image. It’s important to note that the perceived flaws in BDD can pertain to any aspect of the body, including facial features, skin, hair, or any other body part.
BDD is classified as an obsessive-compulsive related disorder due to its similarities with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), characterized by repetitive behaviours and obsessive thought patterns.
What causes Body Dysmorphic Disorder?
The exact cause of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) could be the result of a combination of several factors, including:
- Being bullied by someone at school, home or work and as a result wanting to disappear from view or keep a low profile.
- Being laughed at and humiliated because of something you said or mispronounced, for example when reading out loud in class.
- Being made to feel worthless or inadequate by an abusive parent, friend or partner.
- Comparing yourself to others and punishing yourself for not being as good, clever, articulate or beautiful as them.
- Comparing your life negatively to other people’s lives on social media, overlooking the fact that these images are usually enhanced or exaggerated and that people rarely post details of the bad things in their lives.
- Comparing your possessions to others and feeling like a failure if they materially appear to have more than you.
- Experiencing immense embarrassment. If you fall over as a child, you dust yourself off and get straight back up again, but as a teenager or adult, the first thing you do is look around and think, “Oh no, did someone see me?”
Overcoming Body Dysmorphic Disorder?
BDD is not a genetic or biological condition and no one is born with it so it doesn’t have to be a lifelong affliction and can be completely overcome.
To start with, it is vital to address and alter your perception of the event or events that created your phobia in the first place. Understanding what actually happened to trigger your BDD is the key. You might like to use our timeline to help you find the origin so you can start to challenge, positively condition and alter the negative schemas (beliefs) you have created. Try these tips to get you started:
- Locate the origin of your belief. You can do this by writing a timeline.
- Challenge the origin of your belief: what you believed may not be true now, or was never true.
- Practice and rehearse being confident. You might like to try our Mirror Therapy Resource.
- Build genuine self-confidence
- Break down challenging situations by setting yourself small goals.
- When you find yourself in challenging situations, use our Grounding Techniques to help you through.
