What is Body Dysmorphic Disorder?

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a brain disorder that creates faulty and inaccurate perceptions about your appearance. For some people you can even have delusional beliefs that make you think the flaws you see are an accurate perception.

Here is the criteria for this according to the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders 5th edition.

Preoccupation with one or more perceived defects or flaws in physical appearance that are not observable or appear slight to others.

You perform repetitive behaviors in response to the appearance concerns.

The preoccupation causes distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

The preoccupation is not better explained by concerns with body fat or weight in an individual whose symptoms meet diagnostic criteria for an eating disorder.

The majority of people (about 2/3) start having this problem in childhood or adolescence. The most common body area to be focused on is the face or head. The head would be things like insisting your ears are too large or misaligned.

In this video I discuss a case of what body dysmorphic disorder looks like and use examples from that case to discuss the criteria.

Body dysmorphic disorder is grouped with the obsessive-compulsive disorders because of the obsession with having a physical flaw with your body and the rituals and behaviors you engage in. Likewise, the way we treat this disorder is similar to OCD, a combination of medication and cognitive behavior therapy.

Video on Social Anxiety

Here are some helpful resources
Resources
• Phillips KA. The broken mirror. New York: Oxford University Press; 2005.

References

Feusner JD, Hembacher E, Moller H, Moody TD. Abnormalities of object visual processing in body dysmorphic disorder. Psychol Med. 2011;41(11):2385–2397.

Disclaimer: All of the information on this channel is for educational purposes and not intended to be specific/personal medical advice from me to you. Watching the videos or getting answers to comments/question, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship. If you have your own doctor, perhaps these videos can help prepare you for your discussion with your doctor.

[overhorizon]

I think childhood has something to do with this. Someone shames u for your looks and until now those memories keep ringing in ur head.

[mia_jmn]

This is absolute hell. When my bdd started I got so obsessed how my nose lookd from the side profile that I spent 4 or 5 hours a day just turning my head in front of different mirrors and taking tons of pictures. I was so sure that my nose was the most ugly thing you could ever have in your face. Taking pictures stressed me so out that I started avoiding cameras. I deleted all the photos and avoided looking into mirrors. I felt better. But at one day when I was alone at home, everything started again. I couldn't help but taking new pictures and I saw old pictures and it was just horrible. I couldn't stop. From that day on I haven't looked into a mirror since two months. But the funny thing is that everyone tells me that all they can see is a normal nose. I just want to see myself the way I saw it before all this started

[caramel]

I think bullying can cause this as well? My bullies called me ugly, it's been 8 years and I still believe they were right.

[turtleman]

I'm tormented by this. To the point I have started crying out of nowhere. My family needs me to be strong right now and I can't afford for this to get the best of me, but it is getting the best of me.

[FUSIONSgt]

I think I have this. I am so obsessed with my appearance and weight that I have been considering complete facial reconstruction and extreme weight loss measures. And the more i feel like i am so unlovable and ugly the more I want to die and completely change myself. I hate myself, I hate what I look like. I desperately wish I could change everything about my body. I cant stop thinking about it while I work, when I am at home. Its so bad I break down crying and have to hide at work. Amy sounds so much like me.

[alainemaepaulan]

I don't want to self diagnosed but here's what I do and how I feel

I always feel ugly even though they call me pretty.
I see everyone beautiful but me.
I hate seeing myself in a camera or in a video...ughhh I really really hate it. It gets harder now that we are asked to do it in class.
I constantly check myself in the mirror. I can't not do it for a day.

[BrownSkinnedDiva]

I think i have this disorder. Im really insecure about how I look

[ksimpp]

When I was in my most depressive state, I'm pretty damn sure I had BDD. I'd spend hours in front of the mirror and taking pictures / videos to "confirm" how ugly I was. I wanted to know that what I saw was what other people saw. It felt like my face was deformed. I still have body image issues and am pretty hard on myself but when I look at my face I don't see it the same way I used to. It's like it completely changed with the state of my mental health. I would never wish this feeling upon anyone, it's awful and you feel like a prisoner. Thanks for the vid.

[sunshinesunflowerz]

Teenage me, middle and high school; along with family teasing my body type. I was doing great until those traumatic events.

[tesssmith]

Thank you. I used to suffer really badly with this. I kinda still do at times, but I’ve decided I won’t let it win. I tell my self even if I am an ugly freak I still have the right to be happy and I’m still lovable! I minimise the amount of time I spend looking at myself and the amount of time I spend doing my hair/makeup, I used to tie myself up in knots thinking about how bad I look. I just try to let the beautiful person I am inside shine through and smiling helps! Everyone needs to realise how unique and beautiful they are!💕

[Blah]

I suffer from this disorder along with severe depression and social anxiety. I’ve tried to take my own life before because I feel like I can’t ever be the person I want to be. I spend hours looking in the mirror and checking my scars and skin flaws. I spend so much time and money on skincare. It is on my mind constantly and I’m convinced that’s all other people see in me. It’s so tiring. I don’t want to think about it anymore, the stress kills me. I just want to be like other people my age and not a freak... 😞

[janets]

Thanks for explaining this so clearly. BDD perceptions go way over and above thinking "Gee, I should lose a few pounds" or "I have my father's nose, too big" and then getting on with the rest of your day. Obsessing is a whole other ball game.

[huntermeek]

'80% of people with this condition have lifetime suicidal thoughts.'


Well...shit.

[trapfactory]

I honestly can't tell if I have this or I'm actually just ugly as sin. Ironically I did visit the hospital recently for the same reason Amy did.

[Athena]

I never actually realized how many symptoms and habits I've been having because of this. I haven't been diagnosed but the symptoms are spot on when I look back at my lifestyle for about 8 years. The past 2-3 years have been the worst. I'd constantly stare at myself in the mirror, criticizing almost everything. I even kept a little mirror with me in bed and I would just look at myself like every 10ish minutes. I've hated how I looked in photos so I stopped taking pictures of myself. The anxiety of being asked to take a photo is unbelievable. Social anxiety has definitely been a huge part too. If I don't feel okay with how I look one morning, I am doing my best not to leave my room or run into anyone. Whenever I'm talking to someone, it's the constant thought of "what do I look like, " "why are they looking at me like that, " "do they think i'm ugly, " "i need to fix ____, " etc. Even noticing their eye movements to see if they're focusing on a specific part of my face. It's exhausting. Compliments are weird too, like I'm grateful for them but I genuinely struggle to see what they are seeing/complimenting. There are so many "little" behaviours that you can point out with this disorder and you don't realize how serious it is until you recognize them. It's such a debilitating disorder and I hope everyone struggling with this (as well as other mental illnesses) gets some peace of mind. You are all beautiful, no matter what your brain is telling you. Stay strong everyone <3

[LS-qtbo]

For two months I absolutely obsessed with how I looked in the best way and also in the worst way. I thought I looked better then everyone. One day i woke up hungover and I was now obsessed with how I looked in the worst way, I feel like even if I was the best looking person I wouldn't be happy.

[Punk-Mask]

I struggled with this for a long time and to my surprise the only thing that helped me was studying eastern philosophy. When you see the interdependent relationship between the individual and the environment you start to have a different perspective on the way you identify yourself.

[Tringri]

I have BDD, and I can’t stop comparing certain parts of my body to those of other men. I feel very small and un-masculine (a “manlet” if you will) compared to my friends and peers. It’s absolute hell. I never want to wish this onto my worst enemy.

[blackham]

I find that when I avoid looking in mirrors and stop taking pictures I feel so much better just laying about doing other things. I think social media and the fact that everybody has a camera nowadays is to blame. We need to see more unconventional looking people in the media and we need to stop using our phones.

[junlucas]

The amount of tears I cried while watching this. <3