Skip to main content Skip to bottom nav

What is body dysmorphia?

166 Answers
Last Updated: 09/15/2023 at 5:48am
Perfect therapy for people who need help. I would like to say, I never can imagine it could be possible to heal people like that
Ta Tania
5 star rating
Moderated by

Jill Kapil, PsyD

Psychologist

I have over 9 years of clinical experience, specialize in anxiety, and am passionate about my work. My approach is collaborative, empathic, supportive, and goal-oriented.

Top Rated Answers
Iheartguineapigs
March 26th, 2021 8:46pm
Body dysmorphia is a disorder in which a person see themselves in a way that does not align with what is actually there. An example of this is someone seeing themselves as bigger than they actually are. A person suffering from this may become obsessed with a part of their body they see as flawed and may become obsessed with trying to perfect that flaw. Some may have rituals they have to perform. An example of this is if someone saw their face as flawed they may spend hours picking and looking in the mirror. This can be quite distressing for the person who struggles with this.
Anonymous
April 11th, 2021 4:29am
body dysmorphia by definition is a mental health disorder in which you can't stop thinking about one or more perceived defects or flaws in your appearance — a flaw that appears minor or can't be seen by others. it is something you see in yourself that is probably invisible to others. people perceive themselves in a manner differently than how strangers perceive them. Body dysmorphia can become difficult to manage because it can be difficult to see what the person who has dysmorphia sees. I read somewhere that cognitive therapy can help with this or just therapy in general to get down to the root of the cause of the dysmorphia
caringDancer30
May 14th, 2021 9:03am
Body Dysmorphia/ Body Dsymorphia Disorder (BDD) is a disorder where an individual spends their time nitpicking at anything that they consider as their flaws in terms of their appearance. These flaws are most often times the things that the individual sees on themselves while others do not. Body dysmorphia is more than just feeling insecure about one's own appearance. Individuals with body dysmorphia tend to have distorted body image issues and low self-esteem most of the times. This causes them to avoid social situations most of the times because they feel the need to hide their "flaws" from others. Individuals with body dysmorphia also suffer from emotional problems ranging from depression, feelings of disgust, and severe anxiety. Besides anxiety and depression, body dysmorphia disorder (BDD) is often accompanied by other disorder like anorexia, bulimia or even OCD. Body dysmorphia is not limited to one age catergory, in fact it can occur within individuals of any age. However, for the vast majority, it is most common amongst teenagers and young adults.
Anonymous
May 19th, 2021 1:22am
body dysmorphia (BDD), by its very definition, is a mental health disorder where you're incapable of preventing yourself from thinking about one/multiple perceived flaws in the way you look. it is a flaw that appears to be something others cannot see, although you feel so feel so embarrassed & anxious about it that you refrain to going from certain social events. when you have BDD, focusing on your appearance & looking good for others is an immense focus for you, causing you to get ready & always checking in your mirror for which could take many hours. this also uses up your ability to live a normal life, let alone, go through your average day.
Anonymous
June 6th, 2021 10:19pm
Body dysmorphia is a mental health condition, that can be described as not being able to see your body size accurately. For example, when looking in a mirror, an individual with body dysmorphia may appear to themselves as more skinny or more overweight than they actually are. Body dysmorphia can also be characterised as causing sufferers to be overwhelming concerned with a perceived flaw in their appearance. Furthermore, people with body dysmorphia will often feel anxious and avoid social situations. They may also feel embarrassed or ashamed by their own appearance and feel that other people are looking at them.
KACOSMIC
June 9th, 2021 2:23pm
it is a psychological disorder in which there is excessive concern for the body, causing the person to overvalue small imperfections or imagine these imperfections, resulting in a very negative impact on their self-esteem, in addition to affecting their life at work, school and living with friends and family. This disorder affects men and women equally, especially in adolescence, and may be influenced by genetic or environmental factors. People who suffer from body dysmorphia are excessively concerned with the appearance of the body, but, in most cases, they are more concerned with details of the face, such as the size of the nose, ears or the excessive presence of acne, for example. The characteristic signs and symptoms of this disorder are: Have low self-esteem; Demonstrate excessive concern for certain parts of the body; Always looking at yourself in the mirror or avoiding the mirror completely; Difficulty concentrating on other everyday things; Avoid social life.
Anonymous
July 10th, 2021 10:54pm
Body dysmorphia, (BDD). It's a disorder or a mental health condition where a person is spending a lot of time worrying about flaws in their appearance, but these flaws are often unnoticeable to others. you can't stop thinking about one or more perceived defects or flaws in your appearance. But you may feel so embarrassed, ashamed and anxious that you may avoid many social situations. When you have body dysmorphic disorder, you intensely focus on your appearance and body image, repeatedly checking the mirror, grooming or seeking reassurance, sometimes for many hours each day. Your perceived flaw and the repetitive behaviors cause you significant distress, and impact your ability to function in your daily life. You may seek out numerous cosmetic procedures to try to "fix" your perceived flaw. Afterward, you may feel temporary satisfaction or a reduction in your distress, but often the anxiety returns and you may resume searching for other ways to fix your perceived flaw.
Anonymous
July 16th, 2021 8:59pm
Body dysmorphic disorder is an anxiety disorder related to body image. You might be given a diagnosis of BDD if you: 1) Experience obsessive worries about one or more perceived flaws in your physical appearance, and the flaw cannot be seen by others or appears very slight 2) Develop compulsive behaviours and routines, such as excessive use of mirrors or picking your skin, to deal with the worries you have about the way you look. If you have BDD, these obsessions and behaviours cause emotional distress and have a significant impact on your ability to carry on with your day-to-day life. In this way, BDD is closely related to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). BDD can vary in severity from person to person and from day to day. For some of us, concerns around appearance may make it difficult to go out in public or see other people. This can have an impact on our work life and relationships with other people.
serenemelody7829
November 5th, 2021 12:19am
Body dysmorphia, from my personal view and thoughts and experience with it and around it, it something where you might see your body differently than it actually is. You may avoid looking at yourself in a mirror or even just normally, because your flaws seem very evident to you. Not sure if I have it, and I can't diagnose anything, but it can come in many forms, and affects all people. It doesn't matter if you think someone's pretty or ugly, they can still have it. Since I have to add more words to this, I guess it's when you obsess over flaws in your appearance, and can go hand-in-hand with gender dysphoria and just anxiety/self-hate, but can also be very different.
Anonymous
November 27th, 2021 3:47am
When you think your body looks a certain way and you create a certain mindset in your head that your body looks a lot different than it actually does. Maybe you think you look large and that all your clothes don’t fit you right. But in reality you are an average looking individual but you look and think about yourself differently than others do. There are people who think you are the most beautiful person ever, but you still have yourself convinced that you look awful. Maybe you think your thighs are too big, or maybe even your arms. In reality you are beautiful and the way that you think about how you look is completely different that what is actually there.
Anonymous
December 7th, 2021 10:56pm
Body dysmorphia is a mental health condition, its an anxiety disorder related to body image. You spend a lot of time worrying about your appearance. You worry a lot about a specific area of your body and spend a lot of time comparing your looks with other people's look. Sometimes you may look at yourself in mirrors a lot or avoid mirrors altogether as it can be very triggering. You go to a lot of effort to conceal flaws, for example, by spending a long time combing your hair, applying make-up or spending a lot of time choosing clothes. These obsessions and behaviors cause emotional distress and have a significant impact on your ability to carry on with your day-to-day life.
Anonymous
December 23rd, 2021 12:15pm
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), or body dysmorphia, is a mental health condition where a person spends a lot of time worrying about flaws in their appearance. These flaws are often unnoticeable to others. People of any age can have BDD, but it's most common in teenagers and young adults. It affects both men and women. Having BDD does not mean you're vain or self-obsessed. It can be very upsetting and have a big impact on your life. You should see a GP if you think you might have BDD. They'll probably ask a number of questions about your symptoms and how they affect your life. They may also ask if you've had any thoughts about harming yourself. You may be treated by the GP, or they may refer you to a mental health specialist for further assessment and treatment. It can be very difficult to seek help for BDD, but it's important to remember that you have nothing to feel ashamed or embarrassed about. Getting help is important because your symptoms probably will not go away without treatment and may get worse. You can also refer yourself directly to an NHS psychological therapies service (IAPT) without a referral from a GP.
Cam0331
January 27th, 2022 3:04am
Body dysmorphia can be an individual's negative opinion of their own body. They may have a desire to change their physical appearance in sometimes harmful ways. This can stem from negative portrayals of body image on social media. In addition, body dysmorphia can also be influenced by peer pressure. Often times, body dysmorphia is an unhealthy desire to change one's physical appearance based off of their own clouded judgement of themselves, when in reality, they are healthy and beautiful as they are. One way we can tackle this problem is by promoting positive displays of body image and limiting the promotion of unrealistic beauty standards.
Anonymous
March 18th, 2022 9:23am
Body Dysmorphia is a body image issue, and a mental health disorder if not related to gender issues. It may cause you to overly obsess over minor "issues" that others may not be able to see. Body dysmorphia is also linked to gender issues. For example, you might in your heart feel like a male and having a female body can trigger body dysmorphia. It can worsen over time and can lead to many other mental health issues such as eating disorders, depression, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse, obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety. Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/body-dysmorphic-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20353938 It is very difficult to deal with and requires medical professionals to help, and diagnose. If you think you may be experiencing body dysmorphia please seek out professional help.
callmejoy2022
March 20th, 2022 7:36pm
Body dysmorphia is a disorder that involves your brain telling you you have imperfections and defects that aren't necessarily there. This is a mental condition that someone should get help with. Symptoms include constantly checking yourself in the mirror, excessive exercise, trying to hide part of your body, being anxious about how you look, avoiding mirrors, and grooming. This disorder is linked with eating disorders but might not happen in all cases. There are tests online BDD foundation that could help someone decide if this is a disorder they have or help with convincing a friend they need to get help.
honeybun1614
June 15th, 2022 2:13pm
Body dysmorphic disorder is a mental health condition in which you can't stop thinking about one or more perceived defects or flaws in your appearance. It makes you embarrassed or ashamed or anxious about the certain flaw which may or may not lead to avoid social gathering situations. It may make you so worried that it would start affecting the way you behave which is far from normal. You may take extreme measures to hide those flaws through various ways such as cosmetic surgical procedures or the use of heavy cosmetics etc. Extreme self-consciousness and preoccupation with physical appearance which will eventually cause you deep fear of being judged even when no one is judging you.