Medical Centric

BODY DYSMORPHIC DISORDER (BDD)

Mental Health, Psychological Disorders / By

BODY DYSMORPHIC DISORDER (BDD)

Body dysmorphic disorder is a mental disorder marked by an obsessive idea of perceived defects or flaws in one’s appearance – a flaw that to others, is considered minor or not observable.

  • People suffering from BDD can feel emotion such as shame or disgust concerning a part or parts of their body part and fixate on this.
  • The obsession is always so intense that the person repeatedly checks and compares the perceived flaw, seek reassurance, sometimes for several hours each day.
  • The person can also adopt unusual routines to avoid social contact that exposes the perceived flaw.
  • This pervasive thoughts about their appearance and body image interfere with their daily life via educational and occupational dysfunction as well as social isolation.
  • No matter how many times people assure them that there is no flaw, they cannot exist that the issue doesn’t exist.
  • The most common feature people obsess about include face such as nose, wrinkles, acne, complexion and other blemishes, hair, skin, and vein appearance, muscle size and tone, breast size, buttocks, genitalia.
  • BDD is estimated to affect up to 2.4% of the population.
  • The condition usually starts during adolescence affecting both men and women
  • BDD does not go away on its own, if untreated, it may get worse with time, leading to severe depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicidal thoughts and behavior

CAUSES

The exact cause is unknown, but like every other disorder, BDD may result from a combination of causes such as,

  • Brain differences
  • Environmental factors especially if they involve negative social evaluations about the body or self-image, also childhood trauma.
  • Genetics, studies suggest that BDD is likely to run in families.

Certain factors that may increase the risk of developing the condition may include:

  • A family history
  • Negative body image
  • Perfectionism
  • Negative life experiences such as bullying or teasing
  • Introversion
  • Media influence

SYMPTOMS

  • Extreme preoccupation with a perceived flaw in your physical appearance that appears minor to others, for at least one hour a day.
  • Attempting to hide perceived flaws with styling, makeup or clothes, to seeking plastic/cosmetic surgery
  • Avoiding social situations
  • Constantly comparing your appearance with others
  • Always seeking assurance about appearance from others
  • low self-esteem
  • compulsive behavior such as skin picking and frequent clothe changing
  • Extreme preoccupation with an appearance that interferes with social life, work, school or other functionality.

DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

A medical evaluation will be carried out to help rule out other medical conditions, after which further evaluation is carried out by a mental health professional.

Diagnosis is based on:

  • A psychological evaluation which aims at assessing risk factors and thoughts, feelings as well as behavior that can be associated with a negative self-image.
  • Personal, medical, family and social health history.
  • Criteria listed in the DSM-5, published by the American Psychiatric Association as a diagnostic tool to evaluate the disorder.
TREATMENT

Treatment option often includes therapy and medication.

Cognitive behavioral therapy that helps you learn how to cope and behaviors to improve your mental health.

Medications such as SSRIs may help control obsessions and repetitive behaviors

Psychiatric hospitalization may be suggested if the symptom is severe such as when you are in immediate danger of harming yourself.