Body Dysmorphic Disorder – Part 1

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a serious mental disorder in which the person is preoccupied with some type of flaw that they perceive themselves to have. This flaw can either be minor or imaginary and often involves the skin, hair or nose. Individuals who suffer from body dysmorphic disorder may turn to cosmetic surgery in order to fix their “flaw”. But, even when surgeries are successful they are unhappy with the results.

Unfortunately, cosmetic surgery can actually make body dysmorphic disorder worse because the individual will become even more preoccupied trying to fix the new “defects”. In some cases the patients become so angry with the surgeon that they are violent or turn to the law for recourse.

This disorder is listed in the DSM-IV under is somatization disorders but actually has more similarities with obsessive-compulsive disorder. In order to be diagnosed with body dysmorphic disorder the individual must have a preoccupation that causes significant impairments in their life and they must think about their defects for at least one hour per day.

Individuals with body dysmorphic disorder will limit their friendships and limit their ability to communicate with individuals in public. Because they obsessively ruminate over their appearance it can also make it difficult to concentrate on their schoolwork or their job.

Resources:

MayoClinic: Body Dysmorphic Disorder

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/body-dysmorphic-disorder/DS00559

Anxiety and Depression Association of America: Body Dysmorphic Disorder

http://www.adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/related-illnesses/other-related-conditions/body-dysmorphic-disorder-bdd

World Psychiatry: Body Dysmorphic Disorder

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1414653/

Kids Health: Body Dysmorphic Disorder

http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/feelings/bdd.html