Not many people know the true facts about BDD
Body dysmorphic disorder is not widely wrote or spoke about however has gained some media attention, and is starting to build awareness.
The Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) foundation describe how it effects as person as when "one, or many, specific flaws in their appearance, become an incessant preoccupation and obsession. For someone with BDD obsessive thoughts and rituals affect them to such a degree that it can have a dramatic and debilitating impact on their lives."
BDD has been described as an "imagined ugliness" because what the person is obsessing over is usually unnoticed by anybody else, or is something very small.
The Foundation aim to increase the awareness and understanding of body dysmorphic disorder and help people realise it can be overcome.
A documentary screened in 2006 on BBC Three, titled "Too ugly for love" followed the paths of 3 BDD sufferers, who genuinely believed they were hideously ugly and refused to be seen in bright light incase their flaws were highlighted. After Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which is used to treat the disorder, 2 of the sufferers in the documentary were significantly helped however sadly, 1 was not and this is common amongst people struggling with the condition.
Cosmetic surgery is often seeked in a bid to change a certain feature or body part that a person is obsessing over but unfortunately this almost never solves the problem and the concern is focused on somewhere else on the body.
It is a common misconception that the way someone with BDD perceives their physical features, is the cause of their anxiety and negativity. But it is quite the opposite, the anxiety and negative beliefs someone holds about themsleves is the cause of the person's obsession with their physical features.
Sometimes it can be blamed on the media's representation of being beautiful and looking a certain way, as is often linked to eating disorders or anorexia, but this is not the case.
This common disorder is becoming more popular and can affect any age, sometimes existing for long periods of time before being recognised as a illness. It can begin amongst young adults who struggle to find comfort in their looks. In the way people with eating disorder's struggle with food, people with BDD struggle with their physical appearance. What many people deem as vanity, is actually a pyschological condition which hinders peoples lives. Even now the seriousness of BDD is not widely known.
BDD can worryingly lead to depression, drug taking and self-mutilation. An unusually high proportion of people with BDD commit suicide.
Symptoms of BDD can be:
-Frequently checking your appearance and spending long periods of time in the mirror obessing over a certain body part
-Feeling anxious and self-conscious around other people because of a certain "defect"
-Hiding the perceived defect
-Seeking surgery where professionals think treatment is not necessary
-Avoiding mirrors
-Feeling hideous and disgusting
The Foundation advise the first step towards dealing with this disorder is going to talk to your doctor about it.
More info and a complete list of signs and symptoms can be found at the bddfoundation.com
Alexandra Baracskai