Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a mental health condition involving persistent and intrusive thoughts about perceived flaws in appearance, which may be exaggerated or unnoticed by others. This leads to an obsessive focus on aspects such as skin, hair, or weight, and can result in compulsive behaviours like mirror-checking, excessive grooming, and social avoidance.
BDD significantly disrupts daily life, affecting work, school, and relationships, and often involves emotional challenges such as shame, anxiety, and depression. These symptoms can overlap with obsessive-compulsive tendencies due to the repetitive and distressing thought patterns.
My thoughts about body dysmorphia
I think BD is a self-esteem issue based on shame – like anorexia. As I detailed in video 17 – what we see out of our eyes is, in fact, an image inside our head; we don’t look out of our eyes – light goes into our eyes and our brain makes an image inside our head on our mind screen (video 35).
That image is not the truth of anything, just a brain photoshop image of what it made of all that light that flooded through your eyes based on your beliefs (which can be changed).
So, what a person with body dysmorphia really has is an addiction to the images in their head and a narcissistic worry about what people might think of them, which is basically low self-esteem.
I know this is blunt and direct, but it is true.
This typically happens to more extroverted people with creative imaginations who had their natural playful expression repressed during childhood by parents, school, bullies or some other trauma.
Though hard (due to needing lots of repetition and self-kindness), it is possible to retrain the brain to see the best in you, not the worst, and to develop more positive conscious attitudes towards loving yourself and realising that what good people are looking for in a partner is confidence, humour, action, self-respect and the such.
My course teaches you how to do this.
Key Features of BDD
The key features of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) include the following:
1. Preoccupation with Perceived Flaws
- Persistent and intrusive thoughts about perceived flaws or defects in physical appearance.
- The flaws are often exaggerated in the person’s mind or unnoticeable to others.
2. Obsessive Focus on Specific Body Areas
- Common concerns include skin, hair, nose, weight, body shape, or other specific features.
3. Compulsive Behaviours
- Repetitive actions to cope with distress, such as:
- Mirror-checking or avoiding mirrors.
- Excessive grooming.
- Camouflaging with clothing, makeup, or accessories.
- Seeking reassurance about appearance.
- Comparing oneself to others.
4. Emotional Distress
- High levels of shame, anxiety, or depression related to appearance.
- Low self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy.
5. Avoidance or Social Withdrawal
- Avoiding social situations, work, or school due to embarrassment or fear of judgment.
6. Significant Impact on Daily Life
- The preoccupation and behaviours interfere with daily functioning, relationships, and responsibilities.
7. Possible Overlap with Other Disorders
- Similarities with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) (e.g., intrusive thoughts and compulsions).
- Often co-occurs with anxiety disorders, depression, or eating disorders.
These features can vary in intensity and are distressing enough to impair the individual’s quality of life.
Other names for BDD OCD
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is sometimes referred to by other terms, depending on context or specific symptoms. Here are some alternative names or closely related terms:
- Body Dysmorphia
- Dysmorphic Concern
- Appearance Anxiety Disorder
- Body Image Disorder
- Body Image Dysmorphia
- Perceived Appearance Disorder
- Facial Dysmorphia (when focused on the face)
- Muscle Dysmorphia (a subtype of BDD focused on muscularity)
- Imagined Ugliness Disorder (an older term, less commonly used today)
Note: While some terms may be used informally or colloquially, “Body Dysmorphic Disorder” remains the clinically accepted term in psychiatry and psychology.
