Body Dysmorphic Disorder Introduction
IceCream4IceCream
July 13th, 2021
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a mental health condition, classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Version 5 (DSM-V; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) under the category OCD and related conditions.
Image Credits: Posted on Wikimedia Commons. Created by Chainwit. I don't own this image.
People with BDD experience significant distress because of perceived issues with their body image. According to the Cleveland Clinic, people with BDD might:
1. Struggle socially because of feelings of self-consciousness and anxiety.
2. Perceive their selves as being ugly.
3. Spend hours obsessing about these "defects" they see in their appearance.
4. Act in ways harmful to oneself such as repetitive checking of the body part they believe is problematic.
5. Seek reassurance to cope with difficult thoughts about one's body.
Importantly, it can happen to people identifying as any gender identity, and usually, the onset of this mental health condition is in one's teenage years.Unlike Eating Disorders, the focus is not on weight or body shape, but on flaws one believes they have.
How does BDD affect you? If you could tell people without BDD something, what would it be?
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wonderfulRainbow817
July 16th, 2021
Thank you for the information Jovi! I don't think people realize how much this condition affects others. Often we all face a moment of negative view of ourselves but those with BDD face this more than the average person. It really makes you think about how we can best help others through this!
